Thirty Years: Part One
by mat528
Summary: What happens when, after the events in "Doomsday" the Doctor returns but with a son in tow that Rose doesn't know about? Pairing: 13th Doctor not the Valeyard /Rose Alternate Universes story. Not entirely in canon.
1. Chapter 1

THIRTY YEARS: PART ONE

**Pairing: 13****th**** Doctor (Author Created)/Rose Tyler**

**Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose have been separated after the events in "Doomsday" for Thirty Years (by Rose's calendar) and considerably more time for the Doctor. Now, he has a son in tow, and Rose doesn't yet know the circumstances behind the Doctor's son. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except for Davin, the Board Members, the Cidovar, the heavies, and Jamie. All other publicly recognizable characters are owned by the BBC, and their subsidiaries and partners. This story is for fun and entertainment and I am making no profit off of this.**

**A/N: The 13th Doctor is an older version of Alexis Denisof, who played Wesley Wyndham-Price on BTVS and Angel. I pictured Charles O'Shaugnessy's voice (Maxwell Scheffield in _The Nanny) _for the accent. **

CHAPTER ONE

Rose Tyler gazed into her mirror in the Executive Suite at Torchwood. Today was a monumental day in her life, and she wanted to be ready for the change she was about to make. A confident, radiant, yet somewhat nervous face gazed back at her.

Several questions plagued her mind. Was this the right decision? Would she regret it? What would she do if she had made the wrong decision? She knew that when she met with the Board of Directors, all hell would break loose, but thirty years was enough for any person to be in one job.

Rose also knew the true significance behind her decision. She looked at her face, checking that her makeup was in place. Smiling brown eyes, with only a hint of tan eye shadow met her perusal; her cheeks were dusted with pink blush, very artfully applied. Dark pink lips added to the picture, lips which were enhanced by lipstick from New Paris, and just a hint of gloss. She'd given up being a blonde years before; her hair was now a soft brown, which complemented her eyes. It hung a little past her neck, and was cut in the latest style, medium length, and curling underneath. Wrinkles had not crossed her face, at least not completely. The only signs of aging were some lines around her eyes.

Her figure was as shapely as ever. She owed that to several years of cardiovascular workouts, a very healthy diet, and herbal remedies designed to curtail the effects of aging on the body. She still, at her age of fifty, could turn the heads of young men. But despite all of the physical traits, the most significant anti-aging technique she had was in the way she had lived her life.

She lived each day to the fullest, as though it could be her last. If there were any decisions to be made, she didn't put them off, preferring to attack all aspects of her life with a lust for whatever adventures she could find in each day. It was this craving to know, to grow, to _BE, _that enabled her, not only to build the London charter of Torchwood in the universe she now lived in, but also to take Torchwood to the United States, Canada, and the rest of the globe. Rose had also, under her adoptive father Pete's direction, expanded the functions of Torchwood. Not only did it protect the Earth from harmful aliens, but it became second to none in matters of trade.

Under several treaties granting clemency to aliens who wanted nothing more than to transact peaceful business ventures with Earth, she had turned Torchwood from a multi-million dollar business into a multi-trillion dollar conglomerate. Upon Pete's death five years ago, Rose had taken over the reigns as Director and had helped bring the Earth into its most prosperous and utopian age thus far.

On the personal front, Rose enjoyed her single life, choosing not to marry, but still dating several eligible men. She did, however, hold them at arms length, preferring to attend to her career rather than affairs of the heart. When pressed by any of her would-be boyfriends, Rose gave the most convenient answer; that she wanted to develop her life as a business woman, and didn't, at the moment, want to commit herself to a romantic entanglement. In this quiet moment of introspection, Rose admitted to herself that while that explanation kept her dates at bay, it wasn't the real reason she'd held herself apart from them.

She thought about her young life, how, at the age of nineteen, she'd linked herself to an alien and changed forevermore. From the moment she'd met the Doctor, grabbed his hand, and started running for her life, things had never been the same. Rose thought about the last tender moment his tenth incarnation and she had shared, before she was sucked into the void, and ripped apart from him forever. She'd told him how she loved him, but she had never gotten a chance to hear it from him. Still, as sad and lonely as she had been in the first few months and years after their separation, the Doctor had bade her to have a fantastic life, and she had, in honor of their love. She'd thought of him every day, but she'd also thrown herself into becoming Earth's best defender, like he would have wanted.

Rose was instrumental in teaching her younger brother things the Doctor had taught her, though she had never told her brother about the only true love of her life. He had grown up to defend the Earth in a different way, not with weapons but with legalities, not as a warrior on the front lines, but as a warrior with some of the most iron-clad treaties with aliens Earth had ever seen.

Yes, she had decided, Jamie would make a fine director. She thought about the Doctor again, wondering if she would recognize him if he were ever to return. Would he have the same eyes, the same hair, the same goofy smile as his tenth incarnation? Would he, maybe, resemble the first one she'd traveled with, all steely determination in his steel blue-grey eyes? Or would he be completely different? Would he now look at her only with fondness, or would he have the same passion for her he'd had when they were together? Her eyes grew moist as she supposed that he would have moved on by now, and forgotten about her. He probably would have put the last tender moment that they'd shared before their separation to the back of his mind.

She shook off her sad feelings and checked her business attire, taking in her short (though not too short) skirt, jacket, white blouse, and high heeled shoes. Her briefcase hung at her side with all the signed documents that she'd need in it.

"Sis? You in there?" Rose heard a voice call. She emerged from the bathroom and saw the smiling face of her younger brother, James Peter Tyler. At age twenty-nine, James was the spitting image of her adoptive father, though his voice reminded her of their mother's. James was named after James MacCrimmon, also called "Jamie", who had been a companion the Doctor had told Rose and her mother Jackie about (plus Jackie always liked the name James), and her father, Pete.

"You ready for the meeting?" Jamie asked, offering his arm. Rose linked her arm with his, looking at her brother and smiling back. James regarded her seriously. "Are you absolutely sure you're ready for this? I mean, it's a big change, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Rose said. "But I have to do this."

"Okay," Jamie told her. "I guess you know what you're doing. You always do."

"So do you, little brother," Rose commented. They walked into the board room at the top of the Torchwood building, ready to face Rose's destiny.

888

In a huge room with an ever-expanding palette of clothing, a lone figure stood, selecting and holding up several clothing choices in front of a mirror. He threw some choices down on a massive king sized bed totally, lost as to what he should wear. His eyes spied a pair of black pants and, trying them on, he nodded his approval.

"You're not seriously thinking of wearing black again, are you?" The figure heard a voice complaining. The voice was an octave above his own, with a hint of a Scottish accent. "I mean, maybe navy would be a better choice this time?"

"But she always loved black," the figure protested in a crisp southern British tone. "Besides, it matches my hair and my eyes. Although…the navy is not a _BAD_ choice, I suppose."

"Whatever floats your boat," the man with the slight Scotts accent said, shrugging. "I'll let you know when we've landed." He left the other to his thoughts.

The first figure nodded, getting back to the business at hand. His eyes raked over his chest, which had become more muscular, not like a body builder's, but more sinewy, like a dancer. Black hair, about neck length, though spiked on top, was reflected in the mirror. It was slightly graying at his temples. His eyes were neither blue nor brown, but grey this time, with thin lines of aging creeping on either side of them. He sighed as he thought _I can't make up my mind…happens with age, I guess. _Aloud, he said as he didn't take his eyes off the mirror, "Any ideas, old girl?"

A white shirt, resembling a ruffled blouse, materialized in front of him. He frowned his disapproval. "Too stuffy," he commented.

Another one materialized, more casual, with question marks on the collar. "Way too casual," he remarked. This remark got a rumbling protest. "What?" he asked, a look of innocence marking his heart-shaped face.

_You are way too difficult to please, _he heard a voice say inside his head. "And you love every minute of it," he rejoined, smirking. The hanger he was holding in his hand started to get warmer. He yelped, dropping it on the bed. "Spoil sport," he murmured.

He selected another shirt, this one a navy one, almost like a polo shirt. He held it across his chest, and tried it on. "This could be a good one," he admitted, "at least for the moment."

_Now who's being too casual? _The voice in his head chided.

_You know I gave up costumes and wearing the same attire all the time awhile ago, _he telegraphed back. _Seriously, though, what do you think?_

A suede jacket in a soft camel brown color materialized. _Always have to have the last word, do we? _He thought. He paused, studying his figure, adding some black sneakers to his ensemble.

His brow creased with worry as he wondered if this was a good idea. He'd managed to do something he never thought he'd do, but what if she had forgotten him? Well, he admitted to himself somewhat arrogantly, not so much forgotten him, but what if she were married, with kids tucked away somewhere?

He sighed, telling himself that he would cross that bridge when he came to it. Besides, he was too old to run from a challenge; that was for sure. He emerged into a control room a few moments later, where the younger man was checking an instrument panel. The younger man looked up, smiling his approval.

"What, no pinstripes?" he joked, the mirth reflected in his brown eyes.

"Not for this body," the older man trickled back. "Besides, they suit you more."

The younger man checked his pinstriped outfit. As he did, the older man was reminded of a time when he had worn a similar one. The suit seemed to fit the younger man's personality so well. "Are you sure you wanna do this? I mean, by her calendar, it has been thirty years. It might be a drop in the bucket for you, but for her…"

"I have to know, one way or the other," the older man said softly. "And it's not exactly a drop in the bucket for me, either. You know significantly more time has passed for us."

"You could always check via the time telly," the younger man advised. "That would be a much more convenient way."

"And less fun," the older man chided. "Where's your spirit of adventure? I raised you better than that!"

"What if she…doesn't accept you? Or this?" the younger man asked, a sad expression crossing his face.

"Then, we go on, as before," the older man answered, looking off into the view screen. He saw the Earth of the future, the year 2037 reflected on the screen, and the words "universe 11002" beside them. As the younger man checked all the dials and buttons, releasing the door controls, he said to the older man, "well, good luck. You sure you don't want me along?"

The older man shook his head. "Not yet. If this is a worst-case scenario, I don't want you to be hurt."

"Father…" the younger man protested. The look of determination in older man's grey eyes gave no room for debate. The younger man's shoulders slumped in resignation. "Okay, I'll be here for you. The monitors have detected her on the top floor of this building here." The younger man indicated a silver tower, the words _Torchwood Tower _etched upon it. The older man frowned his disapproval. When had Torchwood gotten this powerful? Who was instrumental in letting them get so far? His son looked at his back stiffening. "What's wrong?" The younger man asked. His father waved him off, grinning.

"Nothing," the older man said. "I'll let you know how everything went as soon as I can." The doors parted and he left. The younger man stared after his father. In the language his father had taught him, he said, "May the light of Rassilon prevail, Doctor."

The Doctor walked across the street to the building, sighing. Why was it humans always ignored good advice time and time again and interfered in affairs they knew nothing about? _I must do something about Torchwood, _he thought. His attention was diverted as his eyes lighted on a man who was walking to the parking garage. The Doctor spied a blaster in the man's hand. He decided to follow the man with the blaster, and be ready.

888

"With all due respect, Ms. Tyler, you can't be serious!" One of the Board members at Torchwood was shouting. A hand touched his shoulder, tightening its grip in an effort to calm him down.

The owner of the hand, a woman who was Rose's junior by ten years, said, "Ms. Tyler, understand we hold any decisions you make in the highest regard. What my colleague is saying is that you have all the knowledge and all the experience. Where are we going to find anyone with your expertise?"

Rose motioned for her brother to stand. Jamie dutifully stood up, saying, "I would be more than proud to take the reins, as it were."

"Of course, we accept Mr. Tyler's appointment to the Board, but with all due respect, Ms. Tyler, he hasn't as much experience in the field as you have had," another member with an American accent said.

"My mind is made up," Rose said quietly. "Effective immediately, I hereby resign as Torchwood's managing director, and appoint my brother, James Peter Tyler, in my stead. Treat him with the same courtesies you have shown me." She smirked, adding, "And as for experience in the field, show him whatever ropes you can."

"Ms. Tyler, are you sure we can't change your mind?" another member, an African British man, entreated.

Rose shook her head. "What will you do with your life?" the younger female member asked.

"I have plans, Emma," Rose answered the younger female, with full conviction in her voice.

All of the members of the board rose, and another member, an older woman, looked at Rose, her eyes misting somewhat. "We wish you all the best," she said honestly.

"Thanks," Rose said, leaving, her head held high. "Kick some alien ass, if you must," she whispered to Jamie. Jamie nodded.

Rose walked to the elevators, wiping at some tears threatening to fall.

She walked to the parking area, where her latest car, a blue Toyota Lexus TC3, waited patiently. "Hello, Alfred," Rose greeted her chauffeur. He lowered his commlinked wrist which had the _London Gazette _emblazoned on its tiny screen. Rose backed up a little, saying, "you're not Alfred." She saw the body of her chauffeur on the ground. Before she could react, she felt the cold metal of a blaster in her back.

"Ms. Tyler," a man in a chauffeur's outfit said, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."


	2. Chapter 2

THIRTY YEARS: PART ONE

CHAPTER TWO

"Really?" Rose asked sarcastically. "Pity I can't say the same." She regarded Alfred, inquiring, "was it really necessary to kill him?"

"Oh, we haven't, actually, but he'll be out for several hours," the man answered non-chalantly. "Now, get into the car." He indicated a black car behind him.

"If I refuse?" Rose questioned, not feeling any fear.

"Then it may go worse for your chauffeur," the man answered. He gestured to another man in the shadows to step forward, then stared in shock as he realized the man who came out from the shadows was not his partner.

"I don't think Ms. Tyler wants to go with you," the man from the shadows said softly. Rose detected a crisp British voice.

The man with the blaster grabbed Rose, holding the weapon at her head. "I don't know who you are, but don't even _think_ about being her knight in shining armor," he announced coldly.

The Doctor fixed the man holding Rose with a cold stare, saying icily, "You really don't want to use that on her, now do you?"

"Shut up!" the man with the blaster commanded. Rose used that moment to stomp on his foot. As he yelped in pain, taking the blaster away from her temple, the other man punched him in the face, grabbing Rose's hand. Rose felt as though there was something very familiar about this stranger's touch. Before she could further examine that feeling, the Doctor shouted, "run!" Rose sprang into action, running with the stranger out of the parking lot. The pair ran to a cycle down the street with huge wheels. The Doctor switched on the ignition, and the vehicle roared to life. He punched some buttons, and the cycle's wheels retracted into its base. The cycle lifted off of the ground, and Rose held onto him for dear life.

"Always hate these hover-cycles," Rose muttered.

The Doctor pulled back a lever, and they zoomed down the street. "You have a better mode of transportation, I'd love to hear about it!" he quipped.

Rose glanced behind her, saying, "our friend's following us!" She continued to watch the man with the blaster getting into a similar cycle that the stranger and Rose were on, and hitting the controls.

"Yeah, well, the high-heel-in-the-foot trick rarely works in slowing pursuers down," the Doctor rejoined.

"Oh, yeah?" Rose retorted. "At least I bought us some time!"

"A few minute seconds is hardly worth counting!" the Time Lord shouted as they flew through a nearby park. The man behind them gave chase, smoothly dodging the trees just as the stranger and Rose did. "Where should we go?" the Doctor asked.

"I know a place!" Rose yelled over the noise of the craft. "Go to the left, about three blocks down!"

The Doctor maneuvered his cycle as Rose directed, zooming around the crowds who were gathering for an event in the park. The man behind them followed, his cycle inching ever closer. The Doctor glided over the last throngs of people before shouting to Rose, "This is where we get off. We can lose ourselves in the crowds in front of us!" He and Rose jumped off of the cycle after the Doctor programmed it to land a few feet away.

Their pursuer swerved to avoid hitting the crowds, then stopped as he realized he had lost the stranger and Rose. He cursed, easing the hover-cycle down. His eyes scanned the crowds for any sign of Rose and the man, but upon finding none, he decided it was best not to draw attention to himself. He got off of the hover cycle and disappeared into the crowds.

Meanwhile, Rose and the stranger glided to a secluded spot in another garage. "Here is fine," Rose ordered. The Doctor landed the craft as Rose curtly said, "thanks for all of your help. I can take it from here." She got off of the hover cycle, not looking back at the Time Lord who had saved her. Had she regarded him, Rose would have seen him smirking, and would have possibly heard him saying, "she's not changed one bit."

Aloud, the Doctor asked, "This your place?"

Rose turned to look at the stranger. She saw his black hair and grey eyes reflected in the lights which automatically came on. "One of them," she replied.

He noted that the building looked very cozy, yet had several defense mechanisms in place, including holographic scenes of grass and bushes, which disguised a strategically placed laser system. "Charming," he noted with more than a passing interest.

"Standard issue security," Rose said. "Not from around here, are you?"

"What makes you say that?" the Doctor asked, pleased that Rose hadn't lost her intelligence.

"Just a feeling," Rose answered. She looked at a panel on the door, which looked like a laminated wood surface. "Rose Tyler, door code 102.3," she said. The door opened, and the locks deactivated.

"To answer your question, I've been here before, but not for a long time," the stranger said, a feeling of longing crossing his face as he inhaled her herbal scent.

"I'm glad you were in the parking lot," she said as she threw down her briefcase. "Interior lights on," she instructed. "Lower brightness." The lights winked on at her command, lowering their intensity. Rose took off her jacket, saying behind her, "make yourself comfortable. Sofa's there." She pointed to a sofa with brown and pink lines in its design. Rose went into the kitchen, busying herself with making some tea.

The Doctor sat down, taking in his surroundings, fingering the soft pillows on the sofa as he sank down into its cushions. He saw some plain, black lamps on either side, tall and elegant. The room had a homey touch, with pictures on the wall of places Rose had traveled on Earth. On the far wall, a television screen hung like a painting, with a cabinet resting beneath. There was a bookshelf, covered mostly with MicroDVDs, and, ironically, some old videotapes. A coffee table was in front of him, with magazines entitled _Alien Fashion _and _Computers and Commlinks for Dummies._

"Interesting choice of reading," the Gallifreyan commented. She put the kettle on to boil and crossed over to an easy chair which matched the couch and sat down.

"Yeah, I have a curious streak a mile wide," she said. The Doctor nodded.

"So," Rose queried, "you got a name?"

"James Sanders," the Doctor replied, using an alias he was sure Rose didn't know.

"Well, Mr. Sanders, I apologize for the rude thanks I gave you earlier," Rose said. "Truth is, I'm not used to being rescued."

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?" he teased. "And here I thought you'd have rescuers aplenty, practically jumping in front of firing squadrons for you."

Rose gave him an appraising look. Although he seemed normal, Rose deemed him to be a little bit of an oddball. _A complete loon, _she mentally decided. She thought she saw a trace of amusement in the man's eyes, as if he knew a secret she didn't. The tea kettle whistled suddenly. Rose jumped up to get it, arranging earl grey bags, lots of sugar, and some cream on a tray. She also got two cups and made her way to the easy chair.

"Milk? Sugar?" she questioned.

"Both, thanks," the Doctor answered. As she handed him his cup, he grabbed the teapot and poured her some, placing a little cream, but significantly more sugar into her cup.

"How did you know I like my tea that way?" Rose asked in astonishment.

"My son likes it that way, too," the Doctor told her.

"How old is your son?" Rose asked. She noticed that James considered her question before answering.

"Twenty-five," he responded.

"So, you're married, then?" Rose queried.

"Not for a long while," the Doctor answered smoothly, gauging her reaction. He noted relief etching her features, but then her brows furrowed together with confusion at feeling that way. "You?" He asked.

"Never been married," Rose answered. "No children."

She could have sworn James looked immensely pleased for some reason, but then he assumed a mask of indifference, as if he was talking to an acquaintance.

"Pretty woman like you?" he wondered aloud, warming to the role he was playing with Rose. "I mean, I would have thought you'd have 3.5 kids and a house with a picket fence."

Rose's eyes flickered with disgust for a moment, then she replied as she also hid behind the façade of indifference, "S'not for me."

"Marriage?" the Doctor asked, drinking his tea. It was all he could do to not fall back on the couch in abject pleasure. He could, of course, make tea with the best of them, but nothing came close to the way Rose, and her mother, used to make it for him. He drank the tea gratefully.

"Yeah," Rose replied, her eyes taking on a wistful look as if she were a thousand miles away. "I'm not good at doing domestic things."

"Oh," the Doctor responded. "Me, neither."

"But you said you had a son," Rose commented, wondering why she wanted to find out as much as she could about James Sanders.

"Don't get me wrong," the Doctor said. "I love my son, wouldn't give him up for anything, but I raised him to have an adventurous spirit, a wanderlust, if you will, like me."

"Funny you should say that," Rose said softly, taking a sip of her tea. "I once knew a man who felt the same way."

"Sounds like there's a history there," he offered, helping himself to a second cup of tea. "Was he a close friend?"

At Rose's pained look, he said, "Sorry. I'm a complete stranger. I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me about him, if you don't want to."

Rose took another sip, her eyes misting for just a moment. James could tell she was coming to a gigantic decision, and he didn't say anything. Rose took a breath, saying, "it's all right. I haven't talked about him in a long time. It was too painful for me. I guess, though, it's all right to tell you."

The Doctor could almost hear her thinking, _since you're a stranger, _but he didn't comment.

"He was the love of my life," she breathed.

"I'm sorry," he leaned toward her, giving her his full attention. "Did he die?"

"No," Rose admitted. "He just…went away."

"Any guy would be a rat bastard to leave you," the Doctor responded, studying her.

Rose's eyes flashed for a moment, as she struggled to calm down. "It wasn't like that! He loved me, he did!" She took another sip of tea, then continued. "He…we…separated, not by choice. He tried to get back to me, an' I tried to find a way after we parted to reach him. Wasn't meant to be."

The Doctor looked at Rose. She clasped her hands together, fighting to act as if everything was normal. At first, she didn't notice his hand reaching out, unfurling her hands, his fingers covering hers. Rose looked down at James's long, elegant fingers entwined with hers, and felt that familiarity again that she'd felt when he had grabbed her hand earlier that day. Rose blushed at the contact, knowing that he was trying to ease her pain, but she gently pulled her hand away. She smiled her gratitude. The Doctor smiled back, and for a moment, Rose lost herself in his grin. It reminded her of the one she dreamed about, the Time Lord who'd captured her heart.

A thought occurred to her, and she asked James, "Just how did you happen to be at Torchwood, anyway?"

"I was looking for someone who works there," he answered, his face giving away no clues.

"Anyone I can help locate?" Rose asked.

"No," the Gallifreyan replied. "I appreciate the help, but I think I've found her already."

Before Rose could ask any more questions, he stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the tea."

Rose gathered the cups on the tray and walked to the kitchen. The Time Lord followed with the teapot. She was aware of a scent coming from him, something she'd smelled before, but something she couldn't quite identify. It was a comforting aroma, not quite honey, and not quite cinnamon, but something in between. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. He placed the pot in the sink, and walked out of the kitchen. Rose followed him, feeling depressed that he was leaving, but not quite knowing why.

"You're welcome," she finally said, then after a beat, asked, "do you think we'll run into each other sometime soon?"

The Doctor smiled again as he looked back at her. He opened her front door, saying, "You never know about these things. Maybe we will." As Rose closed the door, he walked a few inches away, whispering, "count on it." He crossed the street, grinning from ear-to-ear as his cell phone rang.

"Hullo?" the Doctor greeted when he read the message display.

Inside the ship, the young man in the pinstriped suit asked, "So how did it go?"

"It was fantastic seeing her again," the Doctor said. "I'll tell you all the details when I reach you."

Across the street, in the park, a blue box materialized. The younger man stepped out. The Doctor ran inside it, scolding, "how dare you come here? What if she'd seen the TARDIS?"

The young man rolled his eyes. "_Really_, father!" he complained. "I'm a better pilot than you! Don't you think I'd hide the TARDIS where she couldn't see the old girl?"

"Just the same," the Doctor shot back, "Rose could've picked up on the sound. I don't want to let her know about me, not just yet."

"Why not?" the younger man asked. "Why not tell her everything?"

"I can't do _that!_" the Doctor cried, aghast. "You don't just go waltzing back into a person's life after thirty years saying, 'hi, honey. I've crossed the dimensional barrier between universes, and I want to be part of your life again!' It just isn't done."

"Oh, brother," the younger man murmured. "Well, you have to tell her about us sometime!"

"I know," the Doctor said, a little sullenly. He crossed his arms, continuing, "I just need the right moment, Davin." He flopped into the captain's chair in the control room.

"Did you tell her about me at all?" Davin asked.

"A little," the Doctor answered. "She doesn't know she's your mother, though."

"I have a feeling a slap will be coming when she finds out," Davin answered, grinning.

"More like a punch that will send me all the way back to Gallifrey," the centuries old Time Lord grumbled. He imagined Rose's expression when he revealed the truth about their son and winced. Davin laughed, but then took in his father's more serious expression. "There's no time for confessions, at least not yet. We've got work to do."

"What?" Davin asked.

"We need to find out who threatened your mother today," the Doctor replied with a grim expression crossing his face, "and we need to know why."

"Someone threatened her?" Davin asked, his face contorted with worry. "What exactly happened?"

The Doctor relayed the events of the day to his son. The younger man nodded as he took in his father's report, then queried, "have you ever seen that man before?"

"No, I think I would remember such a character," the Doctor answered. He joined his son in front of a locator panel and considered it thoughtfully. "There was one unusual thing: his blaster. I didn't get a chance to look at it as much as I might have liked, but even in this technological age in Earth's history, such a weapon shouldn't exist."

The Doctor's son grabbed a pair of eyeglasses resting on the console. He chewed on the end of them, thinking. He then said, "then the man who chased Mother must have been alien."

"Or had access to alien technology," the Doctor surmised. "I need to get a good look at it."

"How?" his son asked. The Doctor's thoughts touched on something as he didn't respond to Davin's question.

The Doctor said, "There's something else. Torchwood." Davin's eyes grew wide with fear. He had listened to his father's stories about how Torchwood came to exist, and about some of the horrors that agency had visited on alien races, even when they were benevolent, in the universe they had come from.

"I thought it had been destroyed eons ago," he whispered.

"Apparently not in this universe," the Doctor answered gravely. "I have a feeling Torchwood is at the heart of this. That blaster and Torchwood deserve a closer look. I have a feeling investigating the one will solve the mystery behind the other."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

The mysterious figure tapped his entry code into a control panel at his condo, whispered his name softly, and quickly entered as the doors parted. The room he had once thought warm appeared dark, forbidding. It seemed to press on him from all angles. He felt the hands of fear gripping him as he steeled himself to report. He switched on his SONI viewscreen, accessing his superiors' commlink.

"So, you have the woman Rose Tyler?" a shrill voice seemed to call out from the darkness. The man breathed a sigh of relief that he was alone, and it was only his mind playing tricks on him.

"There were complications," the man complained. The light coming from his computer seemed to envelop him. He shielded his eyes from it.

"WHAT COMPLICATIONS?" The voice bellowed angrily.

The man drew back in fear, but he knew there was no place to hide. "A man helped her. I don't know who he was!" the man shouted. He placed his commlink on the scanning device by his computer and waited. He saw a picture of the stranger who'd helped Rose Tyler on the screen.

"Find out who this man is!" The voice instructed. "I will _not _let anyone stop our plans when there is so much at stake! Do this, and you will be amply rewarded."

The man nodded, switching off the viewscreen. He breathed a grateful sigh, happy that he was still alive to pursue the woman and her rescuer. Gripping the weapon in his hand, the man left the room. _Next time, you won't be so lucky, _he thought toward the stranger. He got onto the hover cycle, and started flying to the Torchwoodbuilding. He needed to find wherever Rose Tyler's hideouts might be. With its massive database on her, that think tank would be the best place to find answers. He let himself smile an evil grin. He knew that she would eventually return to Torchwood, if for no other reason than to see her brother. He had a hunch that the stranger who'd come to her aid would be there, especially if Ms. Tyler needed rescuing again. Once he satisfied his superiors, he could relax at his condo in Barbados, spending the reward they would give him. He pictured himself with a beautiful senorita-du-jour on his bed and kicked the hover cycle into high gear.

888

Rose typed in her password and used her voice identification to authenticate herself on her computer. She smiled as she remembered a simpler time when all one had to do to log onto a computer was to type in a password. The Third World War had changed all that, and more, however. As the screen flared to life, Rose patched into the Universal Data Base, a base which contained files on every person, native or not, on Earth.

As Rose entered the scant information on James Sanders, Rose mused, "I wonder what you were really doing in that garage." She waited a fraction of a second as the machine searched. All of a sudden, the computer screen blinked rapidly, as if the information could not be contained. "That's strange," Rose muttered. She stared as another website, an advertisement for a hover cycle, came up on the screen. Rose patched into her vocallink option.

"Computer," she instructed, "override previous instruction. Command code RTyler. TORCHWOOD DirectorCode16619. Specify: information on one James Sanders, approximate age: 50, hair color: black, eyes: grey, occupation: unknown. List any and all data sources." UNABLE TO COMPLY, the computer's vocal relay told the woman. INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE.

She frowned her displeasure, switching the computer off. "Well, Mr. Sanders, you are a mystery, and it's high time I got some answers," Rose said, her eyes filling with determination.

She hurredly changed into a sweatsuit, grabbed a jacket from her closet, and tossed it on, going to one of her many cars. She pressed the ignition button and vocally confirmed her identity. As the car ignited, Rose programmed the code for top speed, and drove in the direction of the TORCHWOOD building.

888

The Doctor walked up to the front door of the Torchwood Towersbuilding. He pulled out his psychic paper ID, then waited for the guard to open the gleaming glass doors.

"May I be of assistance?" the guard asked.

"Yes, my good man," the Doctor answered. "I want to see someone in authority, if you please."

"If you're looking for Ms. Tyler, she no longer works here," the guard replied. "Perhaps you can see her brother, Mr. Tyler," the guard glanced at the Doctor, smirking, "_if _you have the proper credentials."

The Doctor showed the guard the psychic paper, which read _Dr. James Sanders, Emissary to _TORCHWOOD. The guard motioned to a small pad, saying, "If you will scan your fingerprint here."

The Doctor smiled confidently, staring at the guard for a moment, then he lifted his right hand, running it across the pad. The pad beeped in the affirmative, and the guard pointed to an elevator on the right side down the hallway.

"Last elevator on the right," the guard said, picking up a newspaper and reading. "Fifty-Seventh floor."

The Doctor gleefully went to the elevator, then realized what the guard had said.

_Ms. Tyler no longer works here._

The questions his mind was spinning for him went into overdrive. _Why wasn't Rose working there? Had she been fired, or had she resigned? Why was the man with the blaster after her? What about James Tyler? Had Rose told her brother about her life with him?_

Upon entering the elevator, the Doctor punched in the floor entry the guard had told him, then heard the _ding! _as the doors shut. The When the doors parted on the fifty-seventh floor, the Doctor poked his head out, looking for any other guards. Seeing no one, the Doctor walked to the Executive Suite. He scanned the nameplates of the Executives of Torchwood, and then found Jamie's office. He knocked loudly on the door.

"Mr. Tyler?" the Gallifreyan called. When he received no answer, the Doctor gripped the door handle. The door to the room swung open. "Mr. Tyler?" the Doctor called. He glanced around Jamie's outer office. No receptionist was there to greet him. "That's strange," the Time Lord commented.

He noticed that the desk had the usual clutter, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He continued on to the inner office bearing Jamie Tyler's name. The younger Tyler's room was neat and orderly like his receptionist's room, with no papers out of disarray, no items scattered about.

The Time Lord glanced at an elaborate clock on Jamie's wall. "10:00…" the Doctor read aloud. "Where have you gone?" He asked no one in particular. He saw that Jamie's computer was not locked and began to access the database, saying to the compact screen, "perhaps you can tell me where Mr. Tyler is, eh?" The Doctor entered the password "Jackie". PASSWORD INVALID, the computer screen indicated. He tried another: TORCHWOOD, and got the invalid password message again. The Doctor typed in ROSE, and was met with an invalid message error box again. "I could be here all day, at this rate," the Doctor muttered, frustrated.

He looked around the room to see if he could spot any clues to aid him. His eyes scanned various trophies and newspaper articles, including one about the latest award Jamie had received for his work with benevolent aliens. One headline in particular caught the Doctor's eye; it showed Rose and her brother shaking the hand of the Prime Minister. The headline read:

EROS PROJECT APPLAUDED BY BRITAIN'S PM.

"Eros…" the Doctor mused. "Of course!" He exclaimed, marveling at Rose's brother's reworking of her name into the moniker of the God of Love. Typing the password in, the Doctor found that the screen jumped to life. So intent was the Doctor on finding the younger Tyler's whereabouts that he didn't see the inner office door opening a little wider. Rose Tyler stood looking at James Sanders on her brother's computer. She cleared her throat loudly. The Doctor raised his head from looking at the screen to see the fifty-year-old woman staring at him, her brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"Mr. Sanders," she greeted, "we meet again." The Gallifreyan raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

She continued, accusing, "just what are you up to?"

The Doctor assumed a totally innocent expression as he inquired, "up to, Ms. Tyler?" The Doctor looked at Rose, and she equally stared at him.

"What is your game?" Rose pressed, growing annoyed.

"My game…" the Doctor muttered, then brightened as he rambled. "ah, well, I'm partial to _Twister _myself, although I'm a whiz at _Monopoly. _I rather fancy game shows, too, like _Deal or No Deal, _and the _Price is Right. _Pity about _Wheel of Fortune _going by the wayside, but it wasn't as though Vanna could really be replaced…"

"You know what I mean!" Rose cried, frustrated. "Who are you working for?"

"Oh, I don't work for anyone," the Doctor answered calmly. "I'm as independent as they come."

"So you just _happened_ to be in the parking garage at the particular time I entered earlier today, and you just _happened _to see that someone with a blaster was down there?" Rose asked, an incredulous look on her face.

The Time Lord shrugged, saying, "I admit it. I'm a trouble magnet. Trouble runs with me like syrup runs on pancakes." He pinned her with his grey eyes and whispered softly, "believe me, Rose, you have nothing to fear from me. I'd never hurt you in a thousand years."

"Step away from the computer," Rose commanded. The Doctor obeyed. "Now," she instructed him, "come with me."

"Or what?" the Doctor asked, appraising her. Seeing she didn't have a gun or any such weapon, the Time Lord chided gently, "you'll step on me with a high heeled shoe?"

Rose defiantly held up her commlink, showing him a red button. "All I need do is hit this; security will be up in minutes!" She shouted.

"And in that time, I could still render you unconscious and escape," the Doctor replied calmly. "Besides, who do you think let me in?"

"How did you manage that?" Rose asked. "I know many who work here, and I don't recall ever seeing you."

"I'd love to stay and chat, Ms. Tyler, but as it is, I have work to do," the Doctor replied calmly, "so, if you'll excuse me…" He turned away.

Rose mulled over all James had said thus far. His responses seemed so like the Doctor at times, especially with his playing things close to the vest that she almost thought he was with her now, but that was impossible. He'd said that he couldn't reach her, that if the universes remained opened, everything would collapse. It was just wishful thinking on her part. She wanted to believe that Sanders was no threat, but he was so mysterious about himself that she didn't know if she could trust him.

The Doctor strode out into the hallway in front of the Executive Suite, Rose following closely behind.

"Awfully quiet for a late morning workday, eh?" the Doctor commented, investigating his surroundings. Rose gave no sign of having heard him.

"What were you doing on my brother's computer?" Rose inquired, her tone accusing him.

"Better question is: why don't you trust me?" the Doctor challenged. "I save your life and you still doubt me?"

"I checked the Universal Data Base on you. Thing is, there was no information," Rose bit back. "It's like you don't exist."

"Oh?" The Doctor asked mildly.

"I'll ask you one more time," Rose said forcefully. "Either you tell me who you are, or you can tell the authorities!"

When the Doctor didn't answer but continued walking, she grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Ms. Tyler," the Doctor said seriously, "I would advise you to let go of me. I don't want to have to injure you, and I assure you, I am more than capable."

Before Rose could hit her commlink button, the Doctor released the band from her wrist and tossed it across the hall in one swift move. He grabbed her arms and rapidly spun her around so that she could not attack. Rose lashed out with her right leg, kicking him in the knee. The Doctor cried out, grabbing it. When his hold on her was broken, Rose kicked higher, aiming for his face. With lightning speed, the Doctor bent back to avoid getting hit. He deflected her next high kick with his arms, and spying a rug underneath her, yanked it out from under her. In seconds, Rose found herself on the floor. Seeing the commlink out of the corner of her eye, she scrambled for the device. The Doctor kicked it away, but Rose elbowed him so that he lost his footing. She got up, bracing herself for another attack. Her eyes widened as the Doctor didn't try to get up to fight her, but laughed instead.

"Wha'…?" Rose cried, amazed.

You always were a fast learner, my thorny Rose. I see you've improved on the Venusian defensive moves I taught you last time," the Doctor praised her. He rose from the floor, adding, "Of course, I would have beaten you eventually." Rose stared at the Doctor, completely gob- smacked.

Recovering, she ushered him into a smaller meeting room, locking the door behind her. She turned on the light, studying the Time Lord's face. Disbelief, then shock, then happiness filled her face and her eyes. Forgetting her annoyance at him, she bounded into the Doctor's open arms, raining kisses all over his face.

"I can't believe it's really you…!" the fifty-year-old cried. She hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent, savoring his touch. When they parted, Rose cried tears of joy. "How did you do it? I thought you could never return!" She hugged him tightly again.

"Oxygen's becoming an issue, darling Rose," the Time Lord teased.

"Not," Rose teased back. "You don't need to breathe the same way we do."

"I do, actually, it's just that I could suspend my breathing, going into a meditative state, and…" the Doctor broke off his rambling as he saw Rose smiling. "You probably didn't need to hear that."

"Anything you say at this point would be music to my ears," Rose admitted. "It sure took you long enough, though."

"As you humans say, 'better late than never'," the Doctor trickled back. Rose nodded.

"As for how I got back here…that's a long story. I promise, though, whatever happens, I will tell you everything soon," the Doctor told her.

"Really?" Rose questioned.

"Really, really," the Doctor answered in his best Donkey-from-the-Shrek-movies imitation.

You're still the same, even if you look different. Still that wicked sense of humor," Rose said.

"And you're still the Rose I remember, albeit with a few changes," the Doctor said. He studied her hair, her eyes, and her face. "You've grown up."

"You like?" she purred.

"Very much," the Doctor affirmed.

"I like the way you look, too," Rose commented, "although I miss the other ones I traveled with a little."

"I figured you might," the Doctor said.

"Did you, at least, have a fantastic life?" Rose asked.

The Doctor replied, "I did what I wanted to do, and saw what I wanted to see. More importantly, I helped as many as I could. I can't complain."

"I'm glad," Rose breathed, then she frowned, perplexed. "That still doesn't explain how you got back here to this Earth."

"Can't leave your questions alone to save your life, can you?" the Doctor chuckled. "I had help."

Rose peered at him. "What kind of help?" she questioned.

"As I said, a long story," the Doctor responded, "one I don't have time to tell."

"You came back for the man with the gun, right?" Rose inquired, knowing what his answer would be.

"He almost harmed you, and he had a weapon which should _not_ be in his possession," the Doctor declared. "No one threatens my girl, to say nothing of possibly the human race, and gets away with it."

Rose beamed at the Doctor's declaration. She linked her hand with his, and the two of them exited the smaller meeting room. As they walked toward the larger conference room in the Executive Suite, a man, the one who had chased Rose, emerged from the shadows behind them He pulled up the image of the stranger who'd stopped him.

"Link computer," he instructed into his commlink, "pull up any information on this man, specifically, his name, and his connection to Ms. Rose Tyler." His commlink began to transmit the data to his superiors. He switched off the device and ducked back into his hiding place before anyone could see him.

When they reached the conference room, the Doctor's cell phone went off. "Hello?" he said into its receiver.

"I've been alerted to the fact that someone is trying to access information about you," Davin's voice came over the receiver. He punched some codes into the TARDIS's computer system. "I've tried to block any and all signals, but whoever is doing this is very good at stopping my attempts. I would suggest you conclude your business and return to the TARDIS as quickly as possible."

The Doctor said, "Got it. Are you able to track down the point of origin of this person's transmissions?"

Davin confirmed, "The first came from one Rose Tyler. It is the second that is proving more difficult to trace. I am trying to translate the encrypted data, but the individual who is using his or her system is well shielded."

"Mmm, more signs of technology which is out of place," the Doctor muttered, lost in deep thought.

Behind him, Rose asked, "what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Rose," the Doctor assured her.

Rose's expression told him she wasn't buying what he was saying. "Save it for someone who doesn't know you," she said, glaring at him. "Who is that on the phone?"

"My son, Davin," the Doctor said. Into the phone, he instructed, "do what you can. I will get back to you as soon as I'm able. In the meantime, wait until I return." He snapped the phone's casing back, terminating the call.

The Doctor focused his attention on the suite. Rose harrumphed, rolling her eyes. She knew that when the Doctor seized on a mystery, Heaven and Earth couldn't stop him until he solved it. _Why bother? _She thought. Her attentions turned to the Doctor's son. She wondered who his mother could possibly be. Was she a human companion that came after her? Or was she someone similar to a Time Lady? Or, quite possibly, was she an alien species Rose wasn't familiar with at all? Pondering her questions, she found that she wasn't so much jealous, but curious. She decided that she would ask the Doctor later, if she got a chance to.

They opened the doors to the conference room and glanced inside, but the room looked as it always did. There were half-empty cups of coffee and tea littering the table. A tray with pastries and fruit was in the center of the table. The visiphone was where it belonged, with no pictures from incoming clients displayed on it. A panel showing Torchwood's stock figures prominently displayed the quarterly rates.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary to me," Rose told the Time Lord. He examined the cups and saucers, the tray, and any other artifacts on the table. "They could have concluded their meeting," she reasoned.

"But where is everyone?" he asked. "We haven't seen anyone on this floor all day. It's only…" he glanced down at his watch with Gallifreyan symbols on it, "ten thirty in the morning. Bit early, don't you think, to be taking a break? Unless, of course, tea time is earlier in the day."

"No, it isn't until 3PM," Rose muttered. "Like you said, some people leaving would be normal, but everyone going all at once?" Rose's thoughts flew to her brother. "They may be in trouble. We've got to find them!"

The Doctor put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll find out where they are, and what happened to them, I promise!"

888

Outside of the suite by the elevators, the intruder was relaying information into his commlink.

"…It says that the man's name is James Sanders, and that he is an emissary to the company. There doesn't seem to be much more data."

"We must know more. Find any additional information for us by midnight, or you will pay dearly!" the voice commanded.

The man felt sweat pouring down his face. "They won't escape me a second time," he promised. He sighed. _Guess I'll have to do this the hard way, _he reasoned. He turned off his communications device and waited in the shadows for Rose and her friend.

888

Inside the TARDIS, Davin waited for his father. He paced and paced as his impatience grew. He glanced at the TARDIS' communications screen. DATA ON SPECIFIC POINT OF ORIGIN OF UNAUTHORIZED SIGNAL UNAVAILABLE, the screen indicated.

"Unavailable," Davin muttered. He tried again, saying, "TARDIS: scan all buildings within a fifty mile radius. Indicate any unauthorized alien transmissions, regardless of broadcast site. Correlate and display any information." A few minutes later, Davin got his answer. "Bingo!" he cried. He thought about waiting for his father to return before he gave dad any information.

He then imagined his father staying overlong if he found Rose Tyler, or if, as was the Doctor's curse, trouble reared its ugly head. _Why should I wait? _He thought. _It's not as if he ever heeds my advice. He'll probably need my help anyway. _

Davin checked his pockets, reaching for his sonic screwdriver. He checked the viewscreen, accessing information about Torchwood TowersWhen he found what looked like a safe location to materialize in, he set the TARDIS' controls. Seconds later, the ship materialized in the garage. He exited the time travel device, taking in the parking garage. Davin's ears perked up as he heard whispers coming from every direction. Frowning, he looked into the darkened space, but could see no one.

"Anyone there?" he asked. There was no answer. "Hullo?" he tried again. He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered through the garage, muttering, "I'm sure I heard someone."

He started going back in the direction of the TARDIS, but heard sounds in the garage. Not wanting to reveal his presence yet, the young man looked for a place to hide. Minutes later, Davin spied a ventilation shaft. Ducking into it, he inched his way forward. His brown eyes scanned the room he found himself in. Certain no one was in the room, the young man pulled out his sonic screwdriver and, undoing the bolts, gently lifted the covering to the shaft. Placing it to the side, Davin eased out of his hiding place. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for any cameras. He saw what looked like some, and, using his screwdriver, disabled them.

"Now I won't be interrupted," he commented to no one in particular. "But where is father?" He thought a moment, whipping out his cell phone.

He adjusted the frequency, saying proudly, "I'm a genius! Now let's see them try to trace the signal to me." Before he could contact the Doctor, though, he felt a dizziness overtake him. _Oh, no…!_ _Father, _he thought before he lost consciousness.

From the darkness of the room, a well dressed businesswoman emerged, followed by two big men. "Love this new technology," she breathed in admiration in a Welsh accent. "It really works in knocking out unwanted guests!" Switching on the commlink, the woman spoke: "You were right. There was an intruder in here. He short circuted the cameras…" she peered at the cameras, "and, from the pictures you showed me, your scanning device. What are your orders?"

"Transmit an image of the intruder," a voice instructed. The woman did so.

"Patch into any alternate computer data records!" another voice commanded. "We _must _know who he is!"

The woman typed some instructions into her commlink, then, after a moment, announced, "I've located a database called _Cybersystems_. It seems to be some information left from the failed cybermen invasion of 2006. The records weren't totally erased."

Voices murmured, then said, "Bring him to us _immediately!"_

The woman gestured, and two men carried Davin's inert form out of the room.

After the woman and her henchmen left, voices murmured in the shadows.

After a moment's pause, one of the voices said, "The Cybertechnology data we appropriated indicate that he is an alien called 'the Doctor'."

"The records state that he was directly responsible for defeating the Cybermen's invasion of this world in the year 2006," a voice said. "Since he was able to break the scanner, it is possible we are dealing with a superior alien intelligence!"

"He must be with the Tyler woman and her companion," another voice reasoned. "If so, he will be very valuable, indeed!"


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

The Doctor and Rose went to Rose's old office, where she booted up her CPU. "Hopefully, they haven't deleted my password yet since I just resigned this morning," Rose told the Doctor. She verbally gave her password to the computer and waited, as the Doctor peered at the screen over her shoulder, saying softly, "you resigned? Might I ask why?"

"Many reasons," she answered, pleased that she could be as elusive with the Doctor as he had been with her on many occasions.

"And you won't tell me, right?" the Doctor asked.

"Precisely," Rose answered, smiling. She turned to her computer and verbally gave her password, commanding, "computer, show visual records of the Board Meeting for 08102037." She turned to the Time Lord, saying, "What are we looking for, exactly?"

"Anything that will provide a clue as to the Board members' whereabouts," the Doctor responded. They stared at the last three visual records, but saw nothing unusual. "Zoom in on the papers on the desk. I want to take a better look at them." Rose instructed the computer to do so. When the image was made bigger, they studied the

findings.

"These records cover the last three hours before my arrival this morning," Rose commented. "I still don't see anything."

"Strange happenings aren't always easily defined, Rose, you know that," the Doctor chided. He stared at the screen, surveying the papers on the desk in front of Jamie, Emma, and the others.

"All they seem to be are the treaties we developed," Rose said.

"What exactly were these documents?" the Doctor inquired.

"They were mostly trade treaties between our alien neighbors. They strengthened the relations between Earth and other worlders who would trade with us. We trade all sorts of things now, like computer technologies…art and music, an' so on. I was instrumental in drawing them up." Rose replied, beaming with pride. The Doctor continued to glance at the papers, but upon not spotting anything, said, "what about the Eros Project? What was that about?"

"Something my brother an' the scientists at Torchwood came up with…" Rose answered. "We supplied our galactic neighbors with nutritionally beneficial foods, like agricultural products an' the like. Helped some starving planets, and gained good PR for Earth." Rose shut down the computer. "You know, Jamie was instrumental in drawing up several agreements between our intergalactic roommates."

"Remind me to recommend your brother for the Nobel Prize," the Doctor commented dryly.

Rose snorted, saying, "What's with the attitude?"

"About?" the Doctor asked.

"This. I mean, if it wasn't for Jamie and me, an' others at Torchwood, we'd still be fighting many of our otherworldly neighbors; now, we' don't have to." Rose pressed her point. "You said a long time ago on my old world that aliens were coming. Well, they're here, and Torchwood has been instrumental in engineering Earth's most prosperous, and peaceful age."

"I wouldn't trust the efforts of your former employers, too closely, Rose. My universal experiences tell me that most visitors to your planet tend to receive a rather hostile reception," the Doctor replied, "and the reverse has been true for the way your neighbors from outer space treat humans."

Rose's voice started to raise. "That's only cause they didn't know us…" she defended. "Why are you criticizing any efforts to make peace with them?"

"Let's just say, I have been around a few more galaxies than you," the Doctor said. "I'm not saying there aren't benevolent groups out there, but you want to be certain that your efforts, and theirs, won't be misconstrued, and subsequently, turned against you."

"I'm no' dumb, Doctor," Rose said bitterly. "I know not to trust everyone…my travels with you showed me that. That's why the treaties are so vital, an' why it isn't just Torchwood who's involved, but several groups, both from Earth and other worlds, who decide on how things are done, and what needs changing."

The Time Lord declined to comment as they studied the last five minutes of the records. As the computer scanned the data, Rose and the Doctor saw the screen begin to cloud and then turn black. The fifty-year-old woman punched buttons, but to no avail. She commanded the computer to pull up the last five minutes of the Board meeting, but then she saw the words DATA UNAVAILABLE.

"I don't understand this…" Rose muttered. "How could this be erased?"

"Security could have erased it, or just a simple glitch," the Doctor told her. "You know that machines are not infallible."

"But this is my own personal screen, with my own personal entry code," Rose insisted. "No one knows about that."

"Maybe…" the Gallifreyan mused. His ears perked up as he heard a noise outside of Rose's old office. He peeked outside and saw the man with the blaster skulking through the halls. "Our old friend's in the building and is taking a stroll. I think I'll see where he's going. He might be forthcoming with the missing information." As Rose nodded her assent, the Doctor asked, "where will you be?"

"I'm going to the mainframe computer in the basement. Maybe I can pick up a trail, see why those records are unaccounted for," Rose replied.

"I suppose I don't have to tell you to be careful," the Doctor advised.

"No, you don't," Rose answered, walking in front of him. She opened the door, checking. She saw the man enter the second elevator and pointed his location to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded, walking ahead of Rose. The fifty-year-old went toward the third elevator. The Doctor stood waiting for the first, looking at the floor indication board to see where the man went.

"Ah, hah!" He cried, then said, winking at Rose, "the game is afoot!"

"Quoting Sherlock Holmes, are we?" Rose queried, pressing the third elevator's down button.

"Not exactly," the Doctor said smugly as he entered his elevator, "Arthur Conan Doyle got that quote from _me_."

Rose shook her head, smiling as the Doctor's elevator's doors closed. Her elevator dinged, and she stepped inside. She pressed the button for the basement, but the elevator stayed still. Rose muttered, "Great, jus' great! What a time to be stuck!" She pressed the emergency button, but nothing happened. The doors opened, and a well dressed woman entered. Rose smiled grimly at him, pushing the emergency signal once more. "You might not want to take this one," she told her. "It isn't working."

"On the contrary, Ms. Tyler," the woman said, "the elevator's working just fine. It's _you _who soon won't be." Before Rose could react, the woman took out what looked like an ink pen. She pushed the button on its side, releasing a puff of smoke. Rose's world suddenly went dark and she slumped to the floor. "I have the Tyler woman," the woman said into the commlink unit on her arm.

"Bring her to us," a voice instructed.

"Immediately," the woman said. She laughed softly, pressing the elevator button which would carry Rose to her fate. "We have Ms. Tyler," she said into her commlink. In the second elevator, the man with the blaster smiled triumphantly. He switched off the commlink, saying, "Now it's time to collect on what her friend owes me."

888

The Doctor's elevator stopped at a midpoint. He exited, looking to the right, then to the left, but seeing no one. He then spied the man he was looking for not too far ahead. Following him, the Doctor saw the man creep into one of the meeting rooms. He walked inside the room, hoping to find the man, but saw no one. As he turned to walk out of the room, the doors slammed shut, locking automatically. Solid metal gratings came crashing down over all of the windows. _Trapped! _The Gallifreyan thought. He heard a buzzing sound overhead. The Doctor spun around to see the man's face on a TV screen.

"Congratulations!" the man exclaimed. He saluted the Doctor in a mock gesture. "You followed the wild goose chase exactly! Too bad you don't get a prize!"

The Doctor grabbed at the door, but could not pry it open. He tried lifting one of the gates covering the windows, but to no avail. "Relax," the man said. "We don't really want you. Now that we have Ms. Tyler and her otherworldly companion, it's time for you to take a long nap." He laughed at his little joke. The man envisioned his fantasy woman from Barbados, nuzzling his ear, telling him how great he was. The screen winked off.

The Doctor's ears perked up as he heard a hissing sound. "Gas!" he cried, coughing. He whipped out the sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the lock. The light failed to reach its target as the Doctor felt his concentration lagging. Coughing once more, he grabbed his chest as he collapsed on the floor.

XXXX

Rose felt a dullness inside her head, then rubbed her temples, feeling as if her head had elephants pounding on it. She groaned, wishing she had a mega vat of aspirin. She fluttered her eyes, blinking several times to clear her head. A noise grabbed her attention.

"Hello?" She cried. The fifty-year-old woke completely, seeing that her hands and feet were chained to a side wall. She felt a bouncing sensation and reasoned that she must be in motion. Rose studied her surroundings. The cramped quarters looked to her like the inside of a truck. She became aware of a groaning noise from the floor in front of her. The figure was on his (or her) back, securely bound in chains. Getting a closer look, Rose saw that it was a man. He tried sitting up, but could not move.

"Are you all right?" Rose asked.

The person tried to nod, but couldn't. Rose saw the prisoner jerk his head slightly in her direction. "I'm na' bad," she heard a slight Scotts accent coming from a familiar sounding voice. It resembled the Doctor in his tenth incarnation somewhat, except for the slightly more pronounced Scottish brogue. "Are you okay?" the man asked.

"So far," Rose replied, looking at him. She took in his pinstriped suit, which was now coated with dirt. The hair was a little shorter, not quite as shaggy, but still was so much like the way the second Doctor she'd traveled with had worn it. Rose wondered if he resembled the Doctor she had been taken away from in personality as well as looks.

"I'm Rose Tyler," she greeted.

Davin's hearts beat with excitement at having his mother within close proximity, but he cautioned himself not to give too much information away. _Better to wait, _he thought. He lifted his head up as much as he could in response to her greeting.

"My name is Davinthetasigmagammon," Davin answered. "You can call me Davin for short. He then told her, a wry expression on his handsome face, "I'd shake hands, but I'm rather tied up at the moment."

_The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, _Rose thought about his sense of humor. Aloud, she said, "do you have any idea what they want us for?"

"I don't know," Davin answered truthfully. "They haven't told me anything yet."

"Where could they be taking us?" Rose pressed. The vehicle hit a speed bump, causing both prisoners to hit their heads. Davin cursed silently. Rose wondered if she would see her brother or the other Board members soon. She prayed that they, and the Doctor, were unharmed.

"I haven't a clue," Davin answered, "although I was out for awhile."

Rose swore softly. She recovered, glancing at the Doctor's son. She silently vowed that if it was the last thing she ever did, Rose would get him out, unharmed, before anything horrible could be done to him. "We must escape," she decided, her look resolute. "Can you try to loosen your bonds?"

"I've been trying ever since I regained consciousness," Davin answered her. "I can't, tied up like this."

Presently, the vehicle stopped. The well-dressed Welsh woman got out, heading inside. "You know what to do," she instructed the two men who answered to her.

Inside the truck, Rose replied to Davin, "I think we've reached our destination. If I can buy you some time, can you figure out a way to escape?"

"I think so," Davin answered. His ears perked up as he heard footsteps. "Here they come."

The door to the truck opened, and two big, burly men took Davin out first. One man looked at Rose, snarling, "Don't try anything, missy! There can always be an accident where you're concerned!"

"You're lucky you've got me trussed up like this," Rose ground out, "or I'd kick you into next century!"

"Yeah, yeah," one of the men said. He shoved Rose ahead of him. Davin's eyes closed, but then opened again, as he reached out in mental waves to his male parent.

_Father…_Davin thought. He prayed to Rassilon that his father was okay. Hearing no response, the younger Time Lord tried again. _Father! _He thought louder than before.

Davin didn't let any worry cloud his face, but his brown eyes told a different story. _Where could he be? _He thought to himself.

He hoped his and Rose's kidnappers would give them a clue. If not, he vowed, and his father was irrevocably harmed, Davin would seek justice. As he and Rose were pushed down a corridor toward their abductors, Davin continued trying to reach his father.

The Doctor groaned as he sat up, rubbing the side of his head. _I'm really getting too old for this, _he thought. He remembered where he was, thanking Rassilon for his quicker metabolism in overcoming any long term effects of the gas. He took a deep breath, concentrating on Davin.

_Davin! You must tell me where you are! _He thought. _Where are you? Where is Rose? _He thought again. _Are you hurt? Answer me!_

_Father? _He heard Davin's thoughts breaking through.

_Thank Rassilon! Where are you? _The Doctor thought back.

_I don't really know, _Davin responded mentally. _They took us in a truck to an undisclosed location. The building looks ordinary….I don't see any clues that could tell you where we are._

_They'd want you in close proximity to the TORCHWOOD building where I am, I'll wager, _the Doctor thought to his son. _Try to find any signs or symbols that will lead me to your location. As soon as I can, I'll get to you. In the meantime, don't draw too much attention to yourself._

_Right, _Davin thought back. He let his telepathic link with his father dissolve.

The henchmen opened a door, leading Rose and Davin into what looked like a dungeon. The smell of mold greeted the prisoners as one of the men chained Rose to a wall. The other man kept Davin outside. He led the half-Gallifreyan to another cell, shoving his still-fully-chained body inside. He withdrew, satisfied that the young man wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

In Rose's cell, one of the men sneered, "Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Tyler." He reached out to Rose's bound form, caressing her body. "Too bad I've got orders not to touch you. If I had my way, we'd be touching each other."

He leered at her suggestively, raping her with his eyes. Rose spit in the man's face. The man slapped the middle aged woman, snarling, "You try that again…I just might forget my orders!" He left her alone; Rose seethed inwardly, angry that she was, at the moment, so helpless. She hoped Davin was okay.

Davin struggled in vain to escape his chains. He knew that if he could loosen his chains, he could reach his sonic screwdriver and use it to rescue his mother and any other prisoners. His impatience grew with each passing second. The door to his cell opened. In stepped the beautiful Welsh woman with dark hair and an impeccable business suit. She stepped over to the young-looking man and caressed his cheek.

"Hello," she purred in a deep voice. "Sorry I was detained, but I had some business to take care of."

"Quite all right," Davin responded. "I don't suppose now that you're out of here that you'd loosen my chains before I lose all feeling in my muscles."

"I would," the woman teased, "but I have this nagging feeling that you'd escape…." She looked at his scruffy, brown hair, his chocolate eyes and his handsome face. "Too bad, really, about this whole situation," she said reluctantly. "Were we working together, I might actually jump your bones. You are kinda cute."

"I really fancy you, too," Davin lied, hoping to appeal to her vanity.

The woman smiled. "That true?" she inquired.

"Let me loose…" Davin said in what he hoped was a husky voice. Inwardly, he hoped he wouldn't have to carry this charade too far. "I promise I won't disappoint you."

"Tempting…" the woman rejoined, "but, sorry, 'can't do that." She activated her commlink, saying, "I brought the Time Lord!"

"Wonderful!" a distorted voice cried. "Leave him!" The woman replied in the affirmative, switching off the commlink. She turned to leave Davin's cell, then came back to him, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"When they're done with you, I'll claim whatever part of your body is left," she joked before exiting.

Back at the TORCHWOOD building, the Doctor exited the room he had lost consciousness in, gripping his sonic screwdriver. He looked around at the rooms on the floor he stood on, deciding not to return to Jamie Tyler's office as he was sure he would get a nasty reception there. Using the screwdriver, he let himself into one of the many offices on his floor. Looking about, he saw that no one was in the room. It looked to him like the person was, more than likely, on leave or on holiday, as the blinds were closed, and the desk had been cleaned off. He crossed over to a monitor which was neatly covered with a vinyl sheet and lifted it off. Booting the computer, he started to initiate the sequence to gain access to TORCHWOOD's files, when he became aware of a presence in the office.

"Who is it?" the 1200-year-old Time Lord asked. He looked around, but could see no one in the darkened room. As he started typing, the Doctor felt something touch him, but again, he couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" he asked again. When there was still no answer, the Doctor continued typing away until he broke the security code to access Jamie's files. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, just like before. "There's got to be something," he mused, "something I am overlooking…." The Doctor started to delve deeper into the younger Tyler's files when something touched his shoulder. The Doctor bolted up from his seat.

"All right!" He cried. "I know you are there!" He adjusted his superior vision, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. "What do you want?"

"You," was all that he heard before security guards came into the office.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

**A/N: Davin and Rose are in another location, bound and chained. The Doctor is about to meet the beings who contacted him in the last chapter. What do they want the Doctor, Davin, and Rose for? What are their overall intentions? Let's find out….**

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked.

"You," was all the Doctor heard before three security guards came into the office.

"Is there a problem?" the Doctor asked nonchalantly.

"Put your hands where we can see them!" One of the guards shouted. The Doctor placed his hands in front in a gesture of surrender. "Now, turn off that computer!"

"You must be new," the Time Lord said in an effort to placate the guard. "I am Doctor James Sanders. You'll find that I registered downstairs." He switched off the machine.

"Well, my friend, I'm old," the Doctor heard a voice say. From behind the guards, the Doctor saw the man with the blaster emerge. "And I believe you're trespassing." To the other guards, the man said, "Leave this to me. I'll deal with him."

"Right, Mr. Kagan," one of the guards said. The guards left the room, leaving the Doctor and Kagan alone.

Kagan fixed the Doctor with his cold, black eyes. He commented, "It seems we keep running into each other, Dr. Sanders…if, of course, that's your real name." He kept his blaster on the Gallifreyan.

"What makes you think it isn't?" the Doctor challenged, staring at Kagan with icy grey eyes.

"I looked further into the computer database, and beyond your name and job title, you don't exist. I don't even know how you were able to fool the security guard downstairs," Kagan answered. "Now, you tell me: who are you, really? What are you after? Why aren't there any records on you?"

"Quid pro quo, Mr. Kagan," the Doctor replied. "I will give you some information, if you give me some."

"You do realize, I could take it by force," Kagan replied, holding up his blaster for emphasis. The Doctor stared at the weapon, studying its design more closely.

"Tell me…" he began, ignoring Kagan's threat, "where did you get your little toy from?"

"I won't tell you squat!" Kagan shouted. "Suffice it to say…I have friends in high places, the same friends who will deal with you!" He aimed the blaster at the Doctor's hearts. "All right, whoever you are, let's go!"

"Where to?" the Doctor asked, feeling no fear.

"To a holding area; I am done with you!" Kagan said with disgust. The Doctor raised his arms in surrender and made no move to attack. His curiosity at wanting to know more about his captors was at a fever frenzy. They made their way to the elevators.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, in Rose's cell, the fifty-year-old woman glanced around, looking for a way out. She saw a window, sitting high on the opposite wall. _If I could just reach it…_she thought. She jerked her chains, but they weren't loosened. Her door opened suddenly, and one of the henchmen walked in.

"Forget something?" Rose asked sarcastically. The man walked over to the middle aged woman, appraising her with his eyes.

"You more amenable now, Ms. Tyler?" the man asked. "It may go better for your friends and your brother if you are more cooperative…"

Rose finally seized on a way she could escape. She said in what she hoped was a seductive voice, "I won't give you any more trouble. Please…" Rose whispered breathlessly, "I only want to get out of here."

The man said, "That's better. My superiors told me not to do anything to you, but…well, I don't think they'll be displeased if I give you to them somewhat, shall we say, in a better mood?"

Rose purred, "You think you can get me that way?"

"Sure thing, baby," the man confirmed. He walked over to Rose's chains, jerking her to him as close as humanly possible. Before he could claim her lips, Rose put two fingers in front of his.

"I can't have you like this," Rose said. "I mean, it's hard to have a party chained up like this…"

The man thought a moment. If word of this got out, even to his immediate supervisor, he could be in a world of trouble. But, sometimes, he decided, looking at Rose's moist, brown eyes and beautiful chest, things were worth the risk. He might even get her as his reward, he mentally reasoned. He procured a key chain from his pocket and undid her chains.

Rose massaged her wrists, saying, "I can't tell you what this means to me…and to you!" She let her leg fly, kicking him with a high heeled shoe, in effect knocking the man out. Grabbing the keys, Rose lugged the man's body over to the wall. She chained him to it.

The former Torchwood director left the room, pausing to check that no one was around. She walked down the hall, checking various doors. When she reached the fifth door on the right side, Rose glanced through the tiny opening on the door. Sure enough, Davin was inside, still fully chained.

"Davin…can you hear me?" Rose whispered.

"Yes," came a soft reply from the Doctor's son. "Am I glad to see you!"

Rose proceeded to work on the lock with the stolen keys. "Hang on a mo'. I'll have you out in a jiffy!" She finally got the door open, going through each key to try to open the locks on Davin's chains.

"I've got an easier way," Davin said. He jerked his head to the left pocket in his jacket, saying, "this pocket…reach inside. My sonic screwdriver is in there. Pull it out an' set it to 355." Rose did as she was instructed.

As she worked on the chains, she asked, "Why didn't they grab this when they chained you?"

Davin chuckled, "_Very _deep pockets! They weren't exactly taking their time to search me when they grabbed me. Besides, even if they had done a more thorough search, they'd only find what I wished them to."

"Come again?" Rose asked, slightly confused. Each of Davin's chains fell off one-by-one.

"A Time Lord trick. If need be, we can control the dimensions in our pockets…that is why our pockets are always bigger on the inside than on the outside, like the TARDIS," Davin explained. "We can shift the matter in there so that anyone poking about doesn't find anything important." The last of the chains fell off. Using his sonic screwdriver, Davin disabled the cameras and scanners like he had in the Torchwood Towers building. He grabbed Rose's hand, muttering, "it won't take long for the one you overpowered to tip off the world. We better go somewhere where we can hide, or escape this place!"

Rose felt the familiar touch of the Tenth Doctor's fingers when Davin's hand encircled hers. She wondered again about the connection she felt whenever she was around Davin. It went beyond looks or even personality…she felt as though she knew him on some other level. Rose hoped she'd get a chance to find out why she felt such a strong bond with the junior Time Lord.

XXXXXXX

Kagan's men placed the Doctor in the small room in the basement after checking to make sure there were no ceiling panels the Time Lord could escape through.

"You should have stayed asleep, Sanders," Kagan snarled. He took out a pair of handcuffs and secured one of the Doctor's wrists to a chair. Searching the Gallifreyan's pockets, he pulled several articles out, including a key chain, a ball of twine, a fish hook, a banana, tissues, some jelly babies, an old pair of glasses, a bubble gum wrapper, a bluetooth device from the year 2008, and a notebook.

"You sure you don't have a bicycle in your pockets, Dr. Sanders?" Kagan mocked.

The Doctor said calmly, "You never can tell. I very well could have a bicycle in there."

Kagan reached deeper, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He turned the device to and fro, his eyes relaying his confusion.

"And what is this thing?" Kagan asked, pressing a switch. He watched, fascinated as a small blue light shined out of one end.

"Just a light I use for reading," the Doctor replied glibly. Kagan placed all the items into a nearby filing cabinet and, taking a key out of his pocket, locked the cabinet.

He put the key in his pocket, saying, "I've got some business to attend to, but I'll be back. You try escaping again…you'll wish you'd stayed in this room!" Kagan left, as the Doctor regarded him silently. The Time Lord sprang into action, searching for any means of escape. Voices surrounded him, just as before.

"You said you want me," the Doctor said. "What precisely do you want me for?"

"We observed you with the Tyler female," a voice said. "You will get her to do our bidding."

"Oh, really?" the Doctor said sarcastically. "I don't think so."

"You will not aid us, human?" one voice said.

"I will not," the Doctor answered defiantly, "unless you tell me who you are, and what this is all about."

"WE WILL TELL YOU NOTHING!!" A voice roared. The Doctor winced at its loudness.

"IF YOU DON'T AID US, YOUR FRIENDS, AND THE TYLER WOMAN WILL DIE!!"

"Is that meant to scare me?" the Doctor challenged. "Because it won't work."

"Meaning?" A feminine sounding voice asked.

"Meaning," the Time Lord said, "that if you were going to kill us, you would have done so, already. You strike me as being possibly desperate, but not bloodthirsty killers."

The voices murmured as the Doctor waited. "We are the Cidovar," a third voice answered. "Our cause is of no concern to you, _human_!" The last word was pronounced in disgust.

"Ahh, the Cidovar," the Doctor said. "I've heard of you. You usually keep to yourselves. Why are you so interested in Torchwood? Why have you taken an alien you believe is a Time Lord?"

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" One of the voices shouted.

"I'm making it my business. The one you captured before is _not_ a Time Lord," the Doctor replied flippantly, lying to save his son.

"Our informant said that he IS!!" A voice protested. The Doctor raised a brow.

"Really? How do you know you can trust the information?" He asked.

"We have no choice," another voice said sadly. "We will do whatever it takes to save Cidovarna Major!"

"A worthwhile goal, to be sure," the Doctor replied, "but if you kidnap all of these people, do you think you'll be treated fairly, let alone receive whatever tools it takes to save your planet?"

The voices whispered in the Doctor's mind. He could tell that some were weakening, but others were not inclined to trust him. "Let me help you; I'll take you to a real Time Lord. You don't need Ms. Tyler, or the other Board Members."

"We will keep them," a voice returned. "They will be hostages until you cooperate."

"You are right that we are not killers," another voice said, almost pleaded, "but if we have to, we will kill you all, and take what we need."

"So now we get down to it," the Doctor said. "You kidnapped Rose Tyler, her brother, an alien, and the other Board Members to insure the treaties would be modified to your specifications?"

"Correct," a male sounding voice confirmed.

"And I suppose you also erased the computer records I, and Ms. Tyler, looked at earlier to cover your tracks?" the Doctor half asked, half accused.

"WE ERASED NO COMPUTER RECORDS!!" A voice yelled.

"If you didn't, then who did?" the Doctor asked.

"One of the Torchwood members did," a young sounding Cidovaran voice accused.

The Doctor mulled over the accusation; he realized that, even if the Cidovar had circumstantial evidence that the computer records were erased by one of the members of Torchwood, he couldn't ignore the fact that it was, more than likely, a human who had screwed the alien abductors.

"I propose a new deal: reject your plans to kidnap everyone, leave this world, and I will help you to the best of my ability," the Doctor said.

"We do not barter with humans! We trusted them once, and we will not do so again!" the second voice cried.

"But you trust your agents to carry out your demands," the Doctor reminded the voices.

"We have no choice," another voice bit back.

"Why?" the Time Lord asked, then answered before they could respond, "unless…" he laughed before he continued, "ahh, I get it! You need humans to do your dirty work, don't you? You're nothing but disembodied shadows, and you need arms and legs to carry out your plans! And, I suppose, the one you think is the Time Lord will help you change history somehow so that your world is saved?"

"You are clever, human," one of the voices whispered.

"What went wrong, exactly, with regard to the Torchwood treaties?" the Doctor wanted to know.

There was silence before a voice responded. "We were promised agricultural products if we exchanged some of our technology with Earth. Our galaxy is on the brink of starvation…Earth has an abundance of plant life and water that is adaptable for our home world. We gave the Earthers weapons and superior computer technologies and showed the humans how to use them."

_That explains the blasters and other advanced technology…_The Doctor thought. Aloud, he said, "then they didn't live up to their end of the bargain, typical of most humans, I must say, so you took the Torchwood members to force them to comply. But I'll wager Rose Tyler had nothing to do with the treaties. Even if she did, she might not have known what effect the laws would have on you."

"You say the Tyler woman is innocent; we would like to believe you, but we cannot," another Cidovaran said. "We were present at the conferences where the treaties were signed into existence. Later, it was discovered that they not only endangered us, but the lives of our galactic neighbors. We will not allow the Earth people to destroy us!"

The Doctor thought a moment before replying. "I don't for one moment believe that she would conspire to do something against you. If you're right about the others, though, who knows how many other aliens have paid some price for the advancement of the human race on this planet. I might be able to put my hands on some temporal technology to aid you, _if and only if, _you agree to leave Earth alone, after I help you."

The Gallifreyan heard the voices whispering, but he could not make out their discussion that time. Would they go for his solution, and if they didn't, what would his next move be?

XXXXXXX

Davin and Rose ran down the hallway, only to be met with a dead end. Rose glanced around, then saw a small opening behind them to their right. "Back this way!" She commanded. Both ran through the opening, looking for any guards. When they spotted none, they went down another identical passage way, past several unoccupied prison cells.

"These corridors seem to go on forever!" Rose said.

"That they do," Davin agreed. They ran down another long one, the junior Time Lord muttering, "I don't remember this building being this large! How is it that we're running non stop but not getting anywhere?"

"Because you are not in a corridor," a voice said. Davin and Rose turned around to face the owner of that voice, but they saw no one, save for some shadows.

"Who are you?" Davin asked. As soon as he spoke, the young Time Lord felt the stirrings of ramblings all around him.

"We are the Cidovar, Time Lord," a voice declared. "You will not leave here until you have served your purpose!"

"What do you want with me?" Davin questioned. "What is your business with Rose Tyler and the Board Members of Torchwood? How did you know I was a Time Lord?"

"We have information which clearly identifies you as the Time Lord who defeated the Cyber attack of 2006!" A voice said.

"Then you are incorrect!" Rose shouted.

"State your position…" a voice urged.

"My position is that you have been lied to…Davin is _not _a Time Lord," Rose asserted. Davin stared at his mother, his eyes warning her not to say any more. "The Time Lords are all dead," Rose bluffed, hoping they didn't decide to dig any further into the Doctor's background. "Their race is long since gone, and they won't be coming back…so all you have in the end are some humans, and some alien technology we barely know how to use," Rose told the shadows.

The voices murmured, saying, "We shall let you know what our decision on this matter will be. If what you say is true, you will not be harmed. If not, you will wish you had told the truth!" Just then, the Welsh woman emerged with the two henchmen, the one Rose had chained looking at her with murder in his eyes.

"Perhaps they need a demonstration of our determination to save our planet," a voice murmured. "Bring the prisoners in!"

Davin and Rose looked as a young man followed by other men and women were brought in.

"Jamie!" Rose exclaimed to one prisoner who resembled Pete Tyler. She started to run toward her brother, but a guard held her back. The voices drew closer to Davin, their impressions shouting in the air around him and Rose.

"YOU WILL COMPLY WITH OUR DEMANDS, ALIEN," a voice threatened, "OR THE CAPTIVES, INCLUDING THE TYLER WOMAN, WILL SUFFER OUR WRATH!"

Davin's eyes clouded with worry. He could try to make a break for it, and he knew his mother could take care of herself, but he wasn't sure about her brother, or the others. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He scanned the room to see how many of the Board members were with them. Besides himself, Jamie and Rose, he counted six. He came to the rapid conclusion that the best scenario was to buy as much time as he could.

"You still haven't told me why you need me," the young Time Lord said.

"If you are a Time Lord, you will use your time technology to affect history so that our planet will not witness its catastrophic destruction," a voice responded. "If you are not, you and Rose Tyler will convince the others to change the treaties."

Davin wondered what treaties the Cidovaran was talking about. He suddenly thought about a more pressing issue: the lesson his father had told him about drastically altering the time lines, and the reapers.

Davin pouted; Rose thought he resembled her second Doctor so much. "Even if I were a Time Lord, I don't have access to a time travel device that would be able to help you," Davin said truthfully.

"DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DELAY OUR PLANS!!" A voice thundered. Jamie's eyes witnessed the exchange with rapt interest. He peered at Davin, studying his every move. Although Jamie looked for all the world as though he was at a casual dinner party, he was most interested in Davin.

Oblivious to Jamie's perusal of him, Davin inquired, "what about the Torchwood people? I can't in all consciousness help you if they are harmed."

"They will be held so that you don't deceive us," a voice told him.

The other Board Members glanced from the Cidovaran shadows to Davin to the henchmen with the Welsh woman either fearing for their lives, or praying silently that the stalemate that they were all in would be ended one way or another.

"I'm sorry…but I must have time to come up with the technology you need," Davin replied. "You must give me at least one hour, during which time you promise not to do anything to Ms. Tyler or the others."

The voices considered Davin's offer, saying, "Very well." To the Welsh woman and her henchmen, they commanded, "take him to holding cell three with the Tyler woman. Take the other humans to the main holding chamber. Restrain them all!"

"It will be done," the Welsh woman assured the Cidovar.

"And one more thing," one Cidovaran voice instructed. "Make certain that no one escapes this time! You will pay dearly if they escape again!"

If the woman was afraid, she gave no sign of it. "It will be as you command," she said. She poked Jamie with her blaster, signaling for him to follow. Her guards rounded up the other Board members, and then they all left the room, except for two guards, Davin, and Rose.

Davin faced the henchman Rose had chained up earlier. He regarded Davin with a sardonic expression. "Don't try anything, alien, or you…" he started saying.

"…I know I know…I will pay, right?" Davin asked, giving the thug a pitying glance. "You really have to develop more original dialogue."

The guard rammed his blaster into Davin's stomach. Davin cried, "Oooff!" wincing in pain, but righted himself again a second later.

"Don't harm him…" Rose said as one guard shoved her out first.

"Come on, space man," the other guard ordered, pulling Davin's hands behind the junior Time Lord's back. He thrust Davin forward, his bulk propelling the Doctor's son to his cell. In the cell, Davin was secured to a table with tight leather restraints; Rose was completely tied with rope and chained to another one.

"Now, you won't escape again," the guard Rose had chained said.

"Promises, promises…" Davin taunted.

The guard came closer to the junior Time Lord. "You know, I'm gonna have fun with you after all this is over," the guard jeered, his tongue extending in Davin's direction.

"'Can't wait," Davin muttered. When the guards left, Davin commented, "Humans. Always thinking with their groins instead of their brains."

"I resent that," Rose said.

"Present company exempted," Davin replied. He flexed his wrists in an attempt to loosen his bonds. After a moment, he proclaimed, "these may look like leather, but they don't feel like it."

"I doubt we'll be able to escape so easily this time," Rose said.

"Father always told me you and other companions he traveled with tended to state the obvious," Davin mused, flexing and trying to work his hand through his bonds. "Is that a common human trait?"

Rose snorted, saying, "Are you trying to be sarcastic, or is it your arrogant charm?"

Davin was immediately cowed. "Sorry…sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain when I'm trying to work out a solution to a problem," he said. "Father said I get that from my mother…but I think I get it from him, too."

Again, Rose wondered about Davin's mother. She knew this wasn't the right time to ask about her, but she decided maybe this would be a good time to get to know the Doctor's son a little better.

She asked conversationally, "I'm wondering if the Doctor told you about our travels together?"

"I know everything about you," Davin answered.

"Really?" Rose asked. "That's a little disconcerting."

"Well," Davin muttered, "maybe not _everything, _everything, but I know enough."

"What about the TARDIS? How has she been? Has she changed since the last time I was in her?" Rose queried.

"Somewhat," Davin answered, "but then, the TARDIS is always changing. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that it is alive, do I?"

"No, you don't," Rose assured the young man, smiling. Davin freed one wrist, then set to work on the other one. Her expression changed to a thoughtful one. "I wonder if the Doctor has met the Cidovar?"

"I'm sure they've contacted him by now," Davin responded, trying to break the other restraint.

"So, how long have you and your father been together?" Rose questioned.

"About 250 years," Davin said.

Rose looked at him, astonished. "That long?" she asked. "I mean, I know the Doctor has a long life span, but I figured you were somewhat…"

"Younger?" Davin asked. "I get that quite a bit…when he takes me out o' his bloody ship, that is. This is more adventure than I've had in a long time." The young Time Lord started flexing his feet. Rose admired the way he could do that; she thought back to a time when the Tenth Doctor had done something similar when they had been captured.

"Your father never lets you go anywhere?" Rose asked. She could see Davin's frustration as he worked his foot out of one restraint.

"No, he doesn't. He says that I'm not ready to go anywhere significant, but, dammit, I _am _practically grown! I've been trained to think and act the way he does! When does he think I'm going to be ready, when I'm 1000?" Davin's voice was growing louder.

Rose tried to placate the younger-looking man, saying, "He's a parent…he just doesn't like to see you growing up," she said with surprising clarity. "If I had any children, I'd feel the same way." Davin suddenly grew quiet. Rose saw a touch of sadness cross his handsome face. She wondered why he experienced a touch of melancholy. Was his mother dead? Is that why he was sad? She determined that, when they got out of this, she would press the Doctor for some answers. Now, though, she reasoned, Davin needed to focus on the task ahead: escaping the clutches of the Cidovar.

"Did your father ever tell you about the first time we met?" She asked. Davin shook his head.

"We met in the basement of a department store called Hendricks," she answered. "From the moment he told me to run, my life has never been the same."

Davin chuckled as he freed himself from the last cuff. "I know what you mean about life altering moments with Father," he said. He jumped off the table, feeling in his pockets for the sonic screwdriver. After disabling any cameras or scanning devices, Davin worked on Rose's restraints.

"How did you end up in Universe 11002?" Davin asked, all scientific. He checked to make sure the setting for burning through the chains wasn't too high. When he was satisfied releasing his mother wouldn't scorch her wrists, he started aiming the screwdriver at her bonds.

"Got sucked into a void," Rose responded. "I've been here thirty years this Tuesday." She regarded Davin, saying, "If you're as old as you say you are the Doctor must have been trying to get back here for…"

"Almost three hundred years," Davin told his mother as if the time table meant nothing. Rose gasped, totally surprised. "It seems like forever, huh?" he commented.

Rose nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She realized that, counting in the Doctor's and his son's terms, the Doctor was probably 1200 years old, if he was a day. Oblivious to her summations, Davin continued, "In the end, I helped him."

He found the words he thought she would comprehend; then, he explained, "see, universes are really, in the final analysis, full of mathematical formulae, affecting Time, affecting Space."

"That doesn't make sense," Rose said. The chains fell to the floor. Davin undid Rose's ropes.

"Doesn't it?" Davin asked. "What about Einstein's theory of relativity, or the transcendental equation of pi in your universe? How about the Quantum theories humans on your world are only just beginning to discover? They are chock full of mathematical equations."

Rose regarded the young man for a moment, saying, "Go on."

"You know about the Time War, I'm assuming?" he asked. She said softly, "yes."

"My father told me that prior to that time, his people had all of the different formula and strategems for crossing into other universes. After they died, that was wiped away," Davin said softly. "It was only by pure determination and luck that I hit upon the right formula that would enable the TARDIS to jump into this space without causing it to collapse on itself, or collapse your old universe."

"So now you can go to any universe you want?" Rose inquired. Davin shook his head sadly.

"No, we only have the formula to cross back to your old universe, and get to this one," Davin answered. "Of course, we can't cross indiscriminately."

"But, if you have the formula…" Rose said, confused.

"It doesn't quite function that way," Davin said slowly. "The alignment of stars and planets, even time zones has to be right for us to cross. It's kind of like a recipe, of sorts. If you use different ingredients…"

"You might not come out with the same type of cake…so to speak?" Rose finished. Davin grinned, saying, "Yep!" He grabbed his mother's hand again, wondering aloud, "I wonder why our shadowy friends haven't followed us in here?" He went through each possible scenario in his mind as they made another attempt to escape.

XXXXXXXXX

The Doctor wondered the same thing as Davin as he waited for the Cidovar to decide. "We have made our decision," said one of the representatives. "We must have more information about you. If your intentions are honorable, we will consider what you have said."

"Hurry up and wait for us to decide, is that what you're saying?" the Doctor taunted. "How bureaucratic of you!" He rocked back and forth on his heels, saying, "Would you be able to scan me to discover my genetic signature?"

"Our technology would enable us to read your genetic blueprint, yes," one voice answered. "But the alien known as 'the Doctor' disabled our scanner. We cannot read you."

_Good old Davin, _the Doctor thought admiringly. He hoped his son and Rose were all right.

Aloud, he said, "Let me return to my ship. I will be able to give you all the answers you wish after I rescue Rose and the others."

"We will not surrender the Time Lord, nor will we return the hostages," one of the voices declared.

The Doctor said icily, "Makes no difference to me. If you don't let me go peacefully to save the others, you won't receive any assistance from me, nor will you get any Time Lord cooperation." He could hear the voices musing.

Finally, one spoke up. "It will be as you say," the voice said.


	6. Chapter 6

THIRTY YEARS, PART ONE: CHAPTER SIX

**A/N: Sorry for the incredibly long delay in posting. I had numerous other story projects, and my muse had left for awhile, but I am working to update as much as is humanly possible. **

**Disclaimers: See chapter one.**

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Now that he had insured the Cidovarans' cooperation, the Doctor tried contacting Davin.

_Davin! _He projected. When there was no response, the Time Lord tried again. _DavinThetaSigmaGammon!_

After a few short moments, the Doctor finally received his son's response. Inside the other Torchwood location, the younger Time Lord thought back, _sorry, Father! I am somewhat busy at the moment._

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. _Where are you specifically? _

_Not certain exactly, _Davin mentally responded. _Mother and I are still here, but I haven't had any luck in finding the location. There's something else: they wish to use me to..._

_Change the circumstances under which the Cidovar were altered by Earth's technology, _the Time Lord finished. _I know all about it. _

_They are expecting you, _Davin telegraphed back. _They think that you're my companion, and that you can fly the TARDIS. Should I tell them about you being...?_

_NO! _The Doctor's thought resounded loudly in his son's mind. _Our advantage lies in surprise. _The elder Time Lord cut off his thought transmission abruptly as the door squeaked open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the warehouse, Davin reported to Rose, "looks like we're on our own until Father reaches us."

"Where can we go? Why haven't they followed us in here?" Rose's questions echoed Davin's thought processes. He wondered why their alien captors didn't go after them. An unfamiliar scent filled the room a second later.

"Smell that?" Davin asked. Rose sniffed, but she couldn't smell anything. She shook her head.

The junior Time Lord raised his finger into the air and lowered it. A fine, crystalline web like substance was on it.

"Tetrazilol..." Davin mused.

"What is...what you said?" Rose wanted to know. He looked over at his mother.

"A form of fuel," Davin told her. "When it is discharged into the atmosphere, it resembles spider webs." His dark orbs saw some exhaust vents in the room they occupied.

"Why would they have tetra...tet..." Rose was saying.

"Te-tra-ze-lol," Davin responded slowly. "I think we're all taking a little trip."

Rose looked at Davin in total alarm. "So this warehouse isn't jus' a warehouse?" she asked.

"Right," Davin responded. "That's why they didn't follow us in here. They didn't need to. They have us exactly where they want us to be."

Rose thought about her brother and the other captives. "What about Jaime and the other Board Members?" she asked.

"Well," Davin said, running his fingers through his big hair just like the second Doctor Rose had known used to, "I _don't_ think the Powers that Be on the Cidovaran side intend to have us return to Earth once we've served their purpose. It was probably their intent all along: capture us, bring us to their planet, and once they have their Time Lord, destroy us."

His mother hoped that the Doctor would be able to get all of them out of the mess they were in. Davin studied the room with the fuel exhaust, thinking of a way he could keep them on Earth longer until his father could assist in sorting things out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the room with the other Torchwood directors, a lone being who looked outwardly scared was smiling inwardly. He would capture the alien, Time Lord or not; Doctor lookalike or real Doctor, and force him to capitulate to his demands. And soon, the one who had engineered this whole situation promised himself, the bane of his existence would be neutralized once and for all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Gallifreyan had figured out an escape plan when Kagan entered the room. His eyes fixed the Doctor with a hateful glare.

"Well, Sanders, it appears I have orders to let you go" the bodyguard told him.

"And that bothers you," the Doctor finished. Kagan held his blaster in front of the Doctor's chest.

"Not at all," the human told him calmly, yet derisively. "See, I can always cause an accident to happen."

The Lonely God rolled his grey eyes. "I don't suppose you could provide a more _convincing_ threat, now, could you?" Kagan's blaster fired close to where the Doctor stood, yet the lone survivor of the Time War showed no fear.

"You're not afraid?" Kagan's eyes held a note of a challenge in them.

The Doctor frowned and crossed his arms. "Should I be?" he asked in an icy tone, looking at the bodyguard.

Though Kagan was at least an inch and a half taller than the Time Lord, it was the Doctor who was more intimidating. That infuriated Kagan. He went over to the Doctor and struck him. The Time Lord blinked nary an eye. Hoping for some kind of response, the bodyguard drew back his arm to hit the Doctor again. The Gallifreyan blocked his attack so that it never reached its target.

"No second chance for you, Mr. Kagan," the Doctor intoned, his face a frozen mask. "I'm leaving here, and the others in your keep at the warehouse will be freed."

"Think I'm gonna allow you to walk out that door?" he asked.

"I'll rephrase," the Doctor said. "The Cidovar wish me to join them, inasmuch as I can pilot the Time ship. So I'll be leaving now."

Kagan's only response was to raise a brow. "You'll be going nowhere. My boss gave me instructions to keep you here, or kill you if forced to," the bodyguard told the Doctor.

The Time Lord revealed nothing, but inside, he was elated. Kagan had, unknowingly, revealed that he didn't actually work for the Cidovar. So, the question was, who was actually pulling the strings if the aliens weren't his masters?

The Doctor had the feeling that he would find out once he made his way to where Davin and Rose were. He decided that his escape called for a psychological maneuver.

"You know, you're in a lose-lose situation for yourself," the Doctor began. Kagan's dark eyes scanned the Time Lord for any deception; then, the human took the bait.

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising his blaster from where it had been for the first time.

The Doctor responded conspiratorially, "if you blast me, your employer will be brassed off that you killed me without gaining the Time Lord you need. And, if you keep me here, you still won't gain any information, so no one will get what they want anyway. If I were you, I'd let me go. Then, we could go together to meet up with the others, and that way, you could turn the tables with all the hostages on them."

The blaster came up again as Kagan snarled, "What do you think, I was born yesterday?"

It had been on the Doctor's mind to retort, _well, in technical terms, you were, you biologically inferior ape, _but he held his tongue.

"I'm not letting you go so that you can overpower me and nip quietly in another direction," the bodyguard told the Gallifreyan.

"Ah, yes, well…" the Doctor said, "you see, I wouldn't do that, for a couple of reasons. First, you have my friends, and if I didn't cooperate, a signal from you would have them killed, which I do not want. Second, I really would like to know what you are up to, and third, I would like to meet the person or persons behind this whole ordeal. Call it my insane curiosity."

Kagan thought about what his captive said. He decided that Sanders was right. Kagan did have the upper hand, so he could slay the victims, with or without approval, if things got dicey. Though his next move would leave him nowhere near Bermuda with the ladies, the bodyguard removed Sanders' items from the drawer and placed them in his pockets. He held up his communicator for emphasis.

"One false move and I really will destroy them," he said. At the jerking of the Doctor's head, Kagan transmitted that there was a change of plans to his team. Together, after Kagan stopped transmitting, the duo made their way to the Doctor's ship.


	7. Chapter 7

THIRTY YEARS, PART ONE

CHAPTER SEVEN

**A/N: None really, except to say that this chapter was a little difficult to put together. Please review and be kind, thanks.**

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor and Kagan made their way to where the TARDIS was parked. As he entered the ship, the Doctor's joy at being reunited with her almost made him forget the role he was playing as the "companion". He turned the controls and fine-tuned several round buttons so that they were ready to pick up Davin's and Rose's location.

Kagan's dark eyes grew wide, but he hid his bafflement behind his cynical nature. Remembering his Catholic roots, he made the sign of the cross, thinking, _Madre de Dios!_

He just _knew, _he told himself, that this ship of the captured Doctor's had to be an illusion. No one, not even the Cidovarans, had a device that was bigger inside than out!

"Nothing to say, Mr. Kagan?" the Doctor was asking. He bent over the controls and turned on the viewing screen.

Kagan moved over to where the Doctor was and held out his blaster. An old fashioned laser gun was deployed. Before Kagan knew what hit him, he felt a beelike sting.

"Ow!" He cried, trying to flex his fingers or get any feeling in his left hand at all. The bodyguard dropped his gun, and turned accusing eyes on the Doctor.

Kagan exclaimed, "Okay, Sanders or whoever you are! What's the big idea? Why can't I move my hand?" The Doctor picked it up, then used his sonic screwdriver to disable the firing pin.

"Simple: the ship disabled your attempt to shoot me by shooting a temporary numbing agent into your hand," he answered. "You can move your fingers, but you won't be able to feel anything for an hour or two."

Kagan was truly horrified. "What's going on? How did you do that?" He was now looking at the honeycombed walls with true fear in his eyes. "What is this place? Where are you taking me?"

The Doctor stared at him then said calmly, "I wish I could lecture you all day on the defense mechanisms that the TARDIS has but I haven't time. There are still several people on that ship that need attention, particularly before the Cidovar warp out of orbit. Now, be a good human and try not getting into trouble, all right?"

Now, Kagan was truly frightened. He'd heard stories about aliens invading and conquering the human race. Since new technologies on his planet made that more possible than ever, the bodyguard had wanted to protect himself. To that end, he worked with his superior to insure that no one threatened Earth. But now, given the ship he was on and the man, or whatever he was, before him, Kagan came to the realization that it was only a matter of time before there was an invasion.

Kagan peered at the Doctor; then, in a moment of clarity, he said, "You're not a mere companion, are you? _You _are the Doctor!" He studied the black hair, the heart shaped rather than round face Davin had, and the grey eyes and added, "I should have known!"

"How could you have?" The Time Lord queried.

Kagan backed away from the Doctor, sitting gingerly down on one of the chairs in the console room. His mother was right, he told himself, since she said prayer was the answer to all things. Kagan found himself praying fervently that this alien didn't melt him down, or something.

He felt the numbing agent wearing off, but the bodyguard made no sudden moves. The Doctor, meanwhile, was running around like an overgrown chicken with its head cut off, twisting this lever and turning that. Kagan prayed that he survived whatever this maniac had planned.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

On the Cidovaran ship, Rose said, "If they're taking us with them, we've got to slow them down…even stop them. Where is their fuel room? Maybe we can rupture the main tank so that they run out of the tetra."

Davin grinned at his mother's little nickname for the fuel the Cidovar had. Taking his sonic screwdriver, the junior Time Lord said, "We've got to scan to see where there is a vent of some kind. It should lead to the engine room." His long, lean fingers touched the wall.

_Ice cold, _he though, jerking his fingers back. Davin adjusted his temperature so that he could probe the wall without suffering any freezing effects. Remembering the properties of Tetrazilol that he had been taught as a child, the Doctor's son realized that they must be close. He reported that to his mother.

"Close?" Rose asked, her hand landing beside his. She pulled her fingers back, wincing at the bitterly cold temperature of the wall. "Wouldn't the fuel be warm?"

"Normally, you would be right," Davin told Rose. "Bu' I suspect this ship is run with _Icepetrol._ It's a fuel based on cold fusion properties."

"I've never heard of that," Rose said with wonder. "But why does it create spider's webs?"

The young Time Lord chuckled. "It's a chemical effect left over by the ice crystals which form web like substances when they hit the atmosphere. I could natter on all day about those effects, if you'd like!" He said.

"No," Rose told him, smiling. _So like his father, _she thought.

She remembered how the second Doctor she'd been with used to run on and on about anything and everything. Since it seemed as though they would end up on the planet Cidovar, Rose decided that if she could get some of the fuel to take back to Earth and Torchwood, she would try. It did merit further study, and it could solve one of Earth's many problems about finding newer, cheaper types of fuel. There might even be peaceful, more benevolent relations between the aliens and the people of her adoptive father's world. She made a mental note to find out more from the Doctor and Davin about the mysterious aliens when she got a chance.

His look determined, the Doctor's offspring said, "Once we've located the shaft leading to the fuel room, I can pu' a monkey wrench into the works!"

Rose cautioned, "I hate to burst your bubble, but there are two problems." She counted with her fingers. "Number one, there is no vent or duct of any kind in this room; two, if we try to leave now, one of them will detect it since we tried to escape the last time and end our plans."

Davin looked around, his eyes following his mother's. A moment later, he said, crossing to a wall made of a bronze like material, "There is a vent, but it was cleverly hidden." He used his sonic screwdriver to open the panel.

Rose wondered why she had not noticed it. She voiced her question.

"Whoever put it here wanted to keep it hidden, possibly as an escape route," Davin told her. "Feels like déjà vu, doesn't it? Us escaping again, I mean." He took the panel off and saw an access tunnel. Running his hand along the wall, he felt its warm temperature.

"It's warm, but not too hot," he said, adjusting himself to what he hoped was a compatible temperature for the shaft.

"I don't understand," Rose mused thoughtfully. "It's their ship. Why would they want to build a way to escape on their own ship?"

Reporting that he was going in, Davin responded, "I dunno. 'Probably find out on the other side." He hoisted himself into the shaft, saying, "I'm sure glad I didn't eat too many royal oats as a tyke or I'd be stuck!" On his back, he looked up at his mother, telling her, "I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able. In the meantime, don't touch anything!"

Rose nodded, saying, "Good luck." Davin righted himself so that he was on his stomach. He made his way through the shaft, following it as the narrow corridor turned left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the room, Rose blew on her hands and searched her pockets for some gloves. She felt colder than ever as she waited for Davin. She hoped that the Doctor found out where the Cidovaran vessel was, and Davin got to the main power source in time to slow it down.

She heard several clinking noises but nothing major, at least she hoped it wasn't. Rose jumped up and down, trying to stay warm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor stopped his manic movements, saying to his passenger, "Best strap yourself in, Mr. Kagan, unless you fancy being permanently glued to my wall. When the Cidovar warp out, it's sure to be a fast trip!"

Kagan strapped himself in and smiled evilly. He'd studied the Doctor's movements as he'd done that dance of his very carefully, and Kagan's mind seized on a plan. Earth was just barely starting to develop time travel, and if this ship did everything his boss thought it did and her somehow destroyed the nut at the console and brought it back….Kagan pictured a woman who resembled that Hyack actress, stripping in appreciation of his obvious intelligence and good looks…and boatload of money he received after turning in the ship to the right connections.

He imagined her purring in his ear with her throaty voice, stroking his hair as she said, "Sylvester, you are a God among men…". She kissed him, her soft highlighted hair tickling his….Sylvester Kagan felt himself jerking as the Doctor said something.

Kagan glared at him for ruining one of his all-time greatest fantasies. "What are you going on about?" He asked.

The Doctor was studying the small, alternate display screen, as he reported, "I _said, _'that's strange'".

Kagan asked, "What?"

The Doctor answered, "There is a low level humming coming from my ARP, or in layman's terms, 'alternate relay panel'. It's a screen that I check from time to time, but don't use as much because my main viewing screen is engaged."

Kagan said, "Ohhh, I see." The Doctor could tell that he didn't, but the Time Lord made no comment. The bodyguard's eyes narrowed as he observed the Doctor's movements.

The Gallifreyan looked at his screen, but it was completely black. "All right, old girl," he told the TARDIS, "is it an audio malfunction?"

The TARDIS beeped that it wasn't. "Scan all systems that would make that type of sound," the Doctor requested. The ship did as commanded; then, after a long moment, the Doctor said, "Of _course!_ Very clever!"

"What?" Kagan cried, somewhat exasperated. The Doctor turned his grey eyes on the other man, a superior grin crossing his lips.

"This is a distress signal, presumably from where we and the others are headed," the Time Lord reported. "It functions much like your ancient Morse code, only able to be detected on certain systems. Anyone first listening, unless they knew what the code sounded like, would think the signals are just so much random hums."

"So, what's the message saying, and who sent it?" Kagan asked.

The Doctor turned a very small, grey dial in the upper right hand corner, then answered, "It's a distress call from Cidovara. As for who sent it, I have no idea, but whoever it is, they obviously need our help."

"Could it have come from Earth, or an outside source?" Kagan wanted to know. The Doctor looked up at him.

"What an enlightened question, Mr. Kagan," he said. "Not likely. In fact," the Time Lord relayed, turning the grey dial, "if I respond, the signal should lead us right to Cidovara and whoever sent that message. The communication acts like a tractor beam of sorts."

Kagan waited, watching for his opportunity to pounce.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Davin opened the panel at the end of the tunnel and peered out. He hoped he could buy enough time until his Father could come. No one seemed to be lurking about, so Davin pulled himself out of the vent's corridor. He swung his legs forward and jumped down into a room with dials and indicators of temperature on them. The Doctor's son walked along the floor where many ventilation shafts lined up overhead. He kept walking until he found the one he sought.

Davin aimed his screwdriver at the panel for the room where his mother was and got to work adjusting things so that the engines would be temporarily inoperative. He saw the current temperature; then, he whispered, "By Rassilon! Mother."

_Have to work fast, _he thought, knowing that the falling temperature could only mean one thing. They would warp out of orbit soon; and, if he didn't act fast, the room Rose was in would freeze beyond her capacity to survive. He hoped she would be able to escape if she noticed.

As he worked, Davin thought about what his mother had said. Why did someone try to hide the opening? He was about to think of a plausible reason when something on the thermometer caught his eye. He read the numbers...and he saw the implications.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the room Davin had vacated, Rose felt the cold seeping into her clothes. She looked for anything to warm herself. The temperature had dropped in the last several minutes, she was sure of it! Rose looked for any confirmation of that…and, as she looked at an indicator which was shaped like a temperature gauge, she saw that the needle of the device was dropping rapidly!

"Hurry, Davin, hurry!" She said, trying to put herself inside the tunnel to stay warm. Rose had just closed the shaft's panel when the walls in the room she was in were covered in ice.


End file.
